Just Another Girl
by acrosseverystar
Summary: Because even though they didn't know how or why, someone was approaching their circle, running her slender fingers over the barrier that blocked their world from everyone else's,deciding whether or not she had the strength to shatter the glass. Hikaru wasn't ready to let anyone else in. Kaoru was.
1. Chapter 1 - Smile Like You Mean It

"Missy, over here! Look to your left, for me."

The lights would have been blinding to the average girl, but Missy was used to them by now. They were always shifting, trying to find the best angles of her face.

"Good, Missy. Now, give me a stronger pout," the photographer demanded, the camera in front of his face clicking away with every second. Even before she had found her new pose, he took pictures that he would look through later in case a slightly more candid shot caught his eye for the spread they were preparing.

Missy tilted her head just slightly to her left, her gaze shifting toward the craft service cart just twenty feet away.

When was the last time she ate something from that cart?

The photographer, a Russian man in his early thirties who looked like he hadn't bothered to shave in at least a week, took another step forward.

Myles Tanner was one of the most sought after fashion photographers in the industry. He was freelance and organized his own shoots, doing spreads for designers from Ralph Lauren to start up designers. Any time he met a designer or artist that he thought had vision, he was happy to work for them at whatever cost they could afford. This was probably why he had such a good name in the business for someone so young.

"Can I get some touch-ups on her make-up? She's starting to shine a little too much. She's a gem, but she shouldn't shine like one,"' he grumbled good-naturedly to the two make-up artists on standby. At his call, they quickly moved towards their model, brushes in hand as they reapplied powder to Missy's face. The two girls were in and out in ninety seconds, a fairly standard time for them.

As soon as they had moved off the set, Myles resumed taking pictures. "Missy, darling, can you take a step back and tuck your toe behind your ankle? Give me something innocent. There we go," he drolled.

Missy Preston, a model of seventeen, obliged willingly. Myles was her favorite photographer to work with, and the two had formed a very strong relationship since they had begun working together three years prior.

"That's perfect. Alright, that's a wrap on that set. Love, do me a favor and switch into your fourth piece and meet me on set two," Myles shouted over his shoulder as he made a beeline to craft service.

A woman with short brown hair in a tailored dior suit gestured for the girl to follow her side stage to where she would be changing. This was the same area she had been changing in for the last four hours, so Missy didn't really need the direction, but adults always assumed she was an absolute idiot because of her profession, especially the inexperienced ones that had never worked with her before.

As Missy slid the black leather leggings up her body, she was handed a water bottle.

"Only four ounces. We can't have you looking bloated under those lights," the older woman snapped. Normally, people were nicer when dealing with talent, but this woman seemed absolutely exhausted.

Why, she didn't seem to understand. _She_ hadn't been standing under white hot lights for the last four hours.

Missy obediently took a few sips. A controlled diet was also pretty standard, especially during a shoot. They needed to feed her enough to keep her from dropping under the lights, but not so much that she would look full under all the lights.

After pulling the boots she had been assigned to wear next on, she did a quick once over in the mirror and grinned. The black leather riding boots zipped up the sides, stopping at her mid-thigh. Combined with the black and violet floral print crop top, and she looked ready to do undercover missions for the CIA at tea with the Queen of England.

Before Missy could move herself to the next setting, the two make-up artists from earlier moved around her in a whirlwind of excitement. They recontoured her face, bringing out sharper angles in her cheekbones and reapplied lipstick, switching from a vibrant red to a matte purple.

"Close your eyes for me," one of the girls said softly. Her voice was raspy and Missy recognized it from another shoot she had done a few weeks earlier for Missoni.

Missy closed her eyes obediently, knowing that it would be much faster to obey than to question them. They knew their jobs. "Have we worked together before?"

"Yep, a few weeks back. Myles likes to use us for certain models, you know how particular he can get," she muttered knowingly as she dusted more powder across the model's face.

Missy hummed in agreement. If there was anything she had learned from Myles, it was that finding and keeping new talent could be life saving, and that consistency should be used whenever it could be trusted in such an uncontrolled and chaotic environment.

When Missy opened her eyes, she glanced over at the clock. _At this rate, we'll be done by eight tonight,_ she thought. _Only four more hours._

Approximately four hours later, Missy found herself changing into sweatpants and sliding her feet into the comfort of her nikes. Technicians were rushing around frantically, trying to tear apart all the used set pieces so that the stages could be used for other things the next day. Assistants were stuck at their various tasks, hoping to move the process along faster. As Missy slung her bag over her shoulder, she heard Myles call her name from where he stood, talking to a woman in her forties with vibrant red hair in a pixie cut.

"Missy, could you come here for a moment, love? There is someone I would like you to meet," Myles said warmly.

A red flag immediately went up in Missy's mind. Never, EVER, was Myles this cheerful at the end of a shoot. He was usually incredibly stressed as he imagined all of the editing that would go into the next five days as he rearranged and retouched the images he had taken during the shoot.

The teen obliged, walking briskly across the open room to reach her photographer and the woman next to him. Missy stuck out her hand at the woman to introduce herself. "Missy Preston, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The red headed woman stuck out her right hand to shake the model's. "The name is Hitachiin Yuzuha."

Her accent wasn't particularly strong, but the inflection on her English lilted strangely, as if she hadn't used the language in some time.

Missy took in the woman's polished and elegant look. Clearly, she wore designer, but it wasn't anything that she herself was familiar with.

 _Must be a Japanese label,_ she thought to herself.

"So, how do you know Myles, Ms. Hitachiin?" the teen asked politely. She could see Myles' eyes gleaming in anticipation as he glanced between the two women.

Missy took the opportunity to look the older woman over. Everything about her said education and culture, from the prim and neat style of her hair and makeup to her open toed stilettos that didn't seem to affect her posture at all.

The older woman smiled appraisingly at the model. "You are absolutely right, Myles, I like her already," she stated, looking Missy up and down. She then began to walk around her slowly, looking at the girl from every angle, causing the model to straighten her spine and stare straight ahead as she had been trained to do.

"She's a little short for American fashion, isn't she?" Yuzuha asked, her question directed towards Myles.

The photographer nodded. "Miss Preston _is_ on the smaller side for adult fashion, but she is only seventeen. And she isn't uncommonly small, and her portions work out well enough when we put her in heels."

To most girls, this sort of conversation would have been uncomfortable to hear, sizing up someone so neatly in front of them, fitting their portions into boxes of what worked and what did not. But, Missy was accustomed to this kind of treatment.

"So you're an American, correct?"

"Not exactly, Ms. Hitachiin. I was born in the United Kingdom, but I've lived in America for the last three years," Missy responded promptly, her gaze locked on the woman in front of her who had finally stopped her circling.

Ms. Hitachiin hummed thoughtfully in response, taking out her phone and jotting some quick notes down.

Myles exchanged a look with the seventeen year old and smiled, almost giddy with excitement. Whatever this impromptu meeting was about, Myles was very excited for it.

After a moment, Ms. Hitachiin looked up again, a smile on her well contoured face. "Miss Preston, I would like to invite you to come work with me in Japan. My office will be in contact with your agent, but I'll let Myles fill you in on the details. He has my personal number, so contact me if you have any questions. I wish I could tell you more, but I have to run and see a man about mirrored silk. I look forward to working with you."

And with those words, quickly spoken while Missy stared back in shock, the woman was gone, leaving a teenager staring at her retreating back, and a pleasant photographer rolling on the balls of his feet in excitement.

As Yuzuha exited the soundstage, Missy turned towards Myles in shock. "What did you do?!" she growled at him. "I can't go to Japan, I have school!"

Myles sighed and rolled his eyes at the girl. "We can sort out your education later, do you not see the wonderful opportunity, darling?"

"Opportunity? I know nothing about this woman. What does she do? Who is she? _Why does she want me to join her in Japan?"_ she practically hissed. Missy stopped her tirade to rub her temples. This was _not_ part of the plan at all!

The plan was simple really. Go to school and model long enough to pay for her education. After that, she was free to do as she wanted, something that she looked forward to often. If she enjoyed modeling and got some great clothes along the way, who was she to turn that down?

"First off, love, don't be such a snob. It doesn't suit you," Myles sniffed at her eyeroll. "Second, Yuzuha Hitachiin is the frontrunner in the Japanese Market for fashion, and she is planning on taking her company global when her sons graduate high school in two years. Meaning, she needs more models that can wear her clothes. Models from the _western_ world. In fact, rumor has it that she's looking for a new face for her company once she takes it global. Really, you should be thanking me for this opportunity," Myles concluded, a smug grin on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I see. And how did you get all this information, Myles?" Missy questioned. Sure, she trusted Myles with her life and her career, but she certainly didn't trust all of his sources. Not only that, but the gentleman had a certain flair for the dramatic, part of which made him such a great photographer.

"Don't you worry about my sources, Missy. They're all very reliable, and Yuzuha confirmed a lot of that information herself. Why else would she be over here looking at models?"

"Okay, fair point," Missy conceded. "And what role do you play in all this?"

"Part of the next Hitachiin winter line will be featured in _Vogue,_ and she's asked me to do the spread. And, if she likes my work enough, Yuzuha mentioned that she might have future projects for me to work on. And, _galubchik,"_ he said affectionately, calling her by her seldom used russian petname, "I'm always looking out for you. This could be an amazing opportunity for your career."

"Myles, you know how I feel about the career," Missy whined.

Myles had no children of his own, and when he had discovered Missy three years prior, he had taken her under his wing, forming the close bond that they shared. She was a replacement for the little sister that he missed from home, the one he hadn't seen in years. He fretted over her like a mother hen sometimes, always telling her that she could do anything she set her mind to.

"But you're so good at it, love. It'd be a shame to waste your talent. Besides," he admitted, "The Hitachiin offer is not forever and the contract is negotiable. At least consider it? You still have two years before you finish high school, so there's no rush to quit modeling now," he argued.

Missy stared at him in silence, knowing that he had made a fair point. Though she didn't love modeling, she didn't hate it either. And she was also pretty good at it.

And if she wanted to be able to attend an Ivy league comfortably, she would need a lot more money.

"Alright," she said with a sigh. "I'll consider it."

 **A/N: Okay, so new story, and my first Ouran fic. This chapter is centered on my OC, but don't worry, the host club will be heavily used hereafter. In fact, the story's mostly about them, but I wanted Missy and Myles to get a little introduction before I threw them into the chaos of this story.**

 **Drop and line!**

 **-Wri.**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Rising Tide

"You want us to do _what?"_ Hikaru shouted, losing control of his temper once again.

 _Typical,_ Kaoru thought to himself as he looked over at his twin. _When is he going to learn to control his emotions better?_

"Kaoru, I'm not asking the impossible of you-"

"I'm _Hikaru,"_ the older twin growled as he took a bite of his cinnamon toast.

Kaoru sent his mother an apologetic look when he saw a soft frown form on her face. He had seen that frown many times, as though it pained her to mistake her sons for each other.

"I'm sorry, _Hikaru,_ but I need you to do this. I'm not asking anything difficult, and you will do this for me. Who knows, maybe you'll even enjoy it!" she stated brightly, trying to cover the sadness in her eyes.

Yuzuha had been trying for years to be able to consistently tell her sons apart. When they were little, it was easier. They were so open until they started to grow up. A year prior, they had started to open up again, and at times she could tell them apart so clearly. She knew that Kaoru was the gentler of the two, but sometimes she stopped paying attention to her boys and she hated herself for it.

"I won't do it," Hikaru stated childishly. "I refuse to show some commoner around just so that you can have another plaything for your company." Hikaru knew he was being rash and unfair, but he was tired of being used by this woman. His own mother couldn't tell him apart from his brother, and yet, the woman wanted to ask favors of him? How dare she!

Hikaru stood up abruptly, causing Kaoru to look up from his breakfast in surprise.

"I'm going to school now. Kaoru?"

"Coming," Kaoru said with a sigh as he stood up from his chair, pushing it back into place.

As soon as Hikaru had brushed past him and out the doors, Kaoru turned to his mother and smiled softly. "Just give him a little time, okay? I'll talk to him when he's calmed down, and we'll figure this out."

Yuzuha looked down at her hands that she had folded neatly onto her lap. Kaoru took this as his cue to leave, but when he reached the door, he was stopped by a soft response from his mother.

"I'm sorry," she admitted quietly.

Kaoru sighed and smiled again. "I know," he said before vanishing out the door.

Following Hikaru's steps, Kaoru grabbed his bag before meeting his brother inside the limo.

"What took you so long?" Hikaru asked impatiently, tapping his foot on the floor of the vehicle as their driver put the car in reverse.

"You shouldn't be so hard on her, Hikaru, she really does try," Kaoru said, leaning his head against the window. He sat across from Hikaru today, instead of next to him like he normally did, giving the hot-headed teen some space to cool down.

Hikaru growled in response. "Seventeen years and she still can't tell us apart-"

"We don't exactly make it easy, do we Hikaru?" Kaoru interrupted.

"All I'm saying is she can't really call herself our mother if she doesn't act like one. She never gave a _damn_ about us until we showed an interest in the industry. Suddenly, we owe her something for all the years that she practically ignored us? That's not fair, Kaoru."

"Hikaru . . ."

The rest of the drive to school was met in an uncommon silence.

When the Hitachiin brothers arrived at Ouran Academy, they met their closest friend and former toy, honor student Haruhi Fujioka. Haruhi still wore the boys uniform for the school because she had opted to stay a member of the Host Club for the rest of her high school career.

The brunette was staring at the class listings on the wall in the lobby intently, when Hikaru and Kaoru caught sight of her. The sight of the girl was enough to drag Hikaru out of his foul mood. He sent a brief glance to his younger twin who nodded in return. The two moved closer to their friend slowly and silently, edging forward into position to place their arms on her shoulders like they always di-

"Don't even think about it."

Both boys stopped in their tracks at the sound of Haruhi's deadpan, turning towards each other with a shrug.

"How'd you know we were going to do anything?" Hikaru asked, slinging an arm over her shoulder anyway.

"Yeah, we were being quiet," Kaoru muttered as he posed opposite his brother.

Haruhi sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look, suffice it to say that if I can tell you two apart from each other, I know you well enough to be able to predict your actions." With that, she turned back towards the board.

"So?"

"So what?" Haruhi asked, her patience with the twins clearly beginning to run short.

"Are we in the same class again?" Kaoru asked.

The twins had met with Chairman Suoh the week before to request that they be placed with Haruhi, a request the the Chairman had agreed too. However, the two didn't tell Haruhi about their request, and they didn't want to believe it until they saw the class roster.

"Surprisingly, yes. We're all in 2A this year," Haruhi stated, completely oblivious to the idea that their class placement had been orchestrated by her friends. "But I was looking at the class rank, actually."

"Awww, did somebody finally beat your for first?" Hikaru teased, his gaze landing on the list she had been staring at intently.

"No," Haruhi scoffed. "And if they did, I would run the risk of losing my scholarship so I really don't want that to happen. I'm just surprised to find you guys so high up on the list."

"What," Kaoru began.

"Are you trying to say Haruhi?" Hikaru continued.

"Do you think we aren't,"

"Intelligent?"

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Oh you two are plenty clever, alright. You're just not very academically oriented. You've always cared more about pulling pranks than picking up books."

And with those words, the bell rang, indicating that the students should start heading to their class for the day. Haruhi hurried ahead, hoping to get a seat near the front so that she could see the board easily. The twins strolled behind leisurely, knowing that nobody else would dare sit around Haruhi because the seat on either side of her would be occupied by the twins.

"Do you think she knows that we did better in school last year because of her?" Kaoru asked his brother.

Hikaru sighed and continued walking forward. "I doubt it. You know she isn't very observant when it comes to herself."

"That's true. But if we've gotten better at certain things, than maybe she has too," Kaoru mused.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru asked in confusion. The two were rarely on different wavelengths, despite their distinct personality differences. And yet, Hikaru knew that his brother was on to something that he hadn't quite figured out for himself yet.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Kaoru muttered as he stepped through the doorway of the classroom. "Just a thought I've been having for awhile."

Just as the twins had predicted, Haruhi was seated in the second row from the front, an empty desk on either side of her. Hikaru took the seat to her left, closest to the window, while Kaoru took the one on her right. There was an empty desk on his right, something that didn't surprise him since they didn't really have any other friends to sit by, and the fangirls were too shy to sit by their favorite host all the time.

And thus began their second year of high school.

00000000

"It's a good contract."

"I'm not signing it."

"You haven't even read it yet!"

"I don't have to!"

Model and agent looked at each furiously, determination in their eyes. Normally, Missy was happy with whatever her agent suggested. Chloe Laurent had been organizing shoots and working through contracts for Missy for over two years. Chloe was a single mom with three boys, all of whom were sports fanatics. She had bright red hair and she wore dark lipstick every day, whether or not it matched her outfit.

They were in Chloe's office, seated across from each other with the agent's glass and mahogany desk that was absolutely littered in family pictures and sticky notes sitting between them.

Chloe was the first to give in. Leaning back into her black leather chair, she pulled the contract to her face again. "What is your problem with living in Japan?"

"My brother lives here."

"First off, half brother. And he's a Navy S.E.A.L. I think Josh can take care of himself. That's the reason you don't want to leave the states, fine. But what's wrong with Japan?"

Missy bit her lip and looked away from Chloe. She didn't say anything, because she didn't know how to explain herself.

Chloe was able to take the hint clearly. "Is it stuff from before you came to live with Josh?" she asked gently.

Even though Chloe was her agent and in charge of Missy's legal work, with a team of lawyers, of course, she didn't know a lot about her past. She knew that Missy was born in Exeter, the southwestern coast of England, according to her birth certificate, and that because of some kind of unhappiness there, she came to live in the United States with her brother who served in the Navy.

Missy didn't speak about her time before she showed up on Josh Preston's doorstep with a lengthy explanation as to why she was there, but Chloe guessed that it wasn't good. Not many thirteen year olds had it in them to leave their country for a different life.

After a moment of silence, the teenager nodded. Chloe exhaled, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to get around something like this. "Miss, I don't really know what happened, and I don't really need to. But whatever it was, you can't let it hold you back from the future you have ahead of you. Don't let whatever happened beat you or keep you from doing great things. If you do, you let them win."

The younger girl looked down, her eyes glued to her hands folded neatly in her lap. Slowly, she looked up. It was obvious that she was trying not to cry, something that surprised her agent. Never, had Chloe seen the girl look as lost as she did in that moment.

"That's what Josh says," she admitted softly.

"Josh is a pretty smart guy."

"Yeah."

They lapsed back into silence, but this one was much more comfortable.

"So tell me about this contract, again? I wasn't really listening the first time," Missy teased, some of the life coming back into her tone.

Chloe smiled, glad to have her charge back.

The contract was fairly straightforward, even Missy could admit that.

It stated that she would model for the company until she graduated high school in two years. The terms of the modeling would be set by Missy and the Hitachiin agents, but the time spent would not interfere with her education under any circumstances.

She was allowed to wear other brands, but she was not allowed to publicize or market them.

Her expenses for her time overseas would be covered by the company (food, housing, travel, education, etc.) would be covered by the company, contingent upon keeping up with the rest of the contract. The amount paid for her yearly salary would also be decided upon arrival in Japan.

However, Missy had to make Japan her legal residence until further notice, and she had to do whatever the company asked her to that wasn't already dictated by the contract.

At the end of the contract, the renewal of said contract would be decided by the model and Yuzuha and her successors.

The terms of the contract were negotiable, so long as both parties agree to any changes, allowing for some flexibility within the binding papers.

"So, what do you think, kiddo?" Chloe asked, taking the contract back from her client. "They're being very generous. You must have left quite an impression on Yuzuha," she said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, let's hope I left a good one," Missy joked, scrunching her nose.

Chloe looked up suddenly. "That reminds me. We should get a tutor for you, and request a translator for while you're there so you can understand everything that's going on," Chloe stated while digging through her desk for an unused post-it note to remind herself with.

"No need," Missy said, standing up from her chair.

"Why not?" she asked in confusion.

"I already speak Japanese."

 **A/N: Wow, I was not expecting this story to get as much love as it got! Thank you so much guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you're as happy with where it's going as I am.**

 **-Wri**


	3. Chapter 3 - Runaways

It's not that Missy had a fear of flying.

It's simply that she _hated it._

In fact, if Myles hadn't been sitting next to her on the long flight from Long Beach to the Hitachiin's private airport in Japan, she doubted she would have made it through the flight without storming into the cockpit and screaming at the pilot because _couldn't a plane fly any faster?_

The fact that they were flying back with Yuzuha in her private jet only managed to make up a tiny bit for the excruciatingly long flight without cell service. Missy closed her eyes, letting her mind flash back to the conversation she had had earlier with Josh.

" _I'm proud of you."_

" _Why?" Missy asked in confusion._

 _Her half brother smiled at her as he handed her suitcase to the flight attendant. "For going back there and facing your fears."_

 _Missy took a good look at Josh. His hair was black where her's was a deep brown with strands of chestnut. He was at least six inches taller than her and his complexion was more olive toned compared to her pale ivory. However, they both possessed the same dark blue eyes that looked almost violet in certain lights, the only trait that they both inherited from their father._

 _She rolled her eyes at her brother. Even though there was ten years between them and they had only known each other for the last three, he was her best friend._

" _You know very well that I don't fear anything in Japan," she retorted smugly._

" _No?" Josh asked with a raised eyebrow._

 _To anybody else, they would have seen a confident teenage girl with perfect clothes, about to embark on a life changing journey. They didn't see that her hand was wrapped so tightly on the handle of her carry-on that her knuckles were white. Nobody knew that she had under eye concealer in her purse because she had been up all night tossing and turning in her bed._

 _But Josh had heard her pace the floors of her bedroom in the quiet hours of one and three in the morning._

 _He always found it very hard to sleep when something was wrong with his sister._

 _When he had been deployed a year prior, he had worried constantly about Missy. In fact, he probably would have lost his mind if he hadn't known that Myles and Chloe were checking in on her every day and making sure that she went to school. Josh had never signed up to be a parent, but once he was saddled with a teenage girl, he took his role as 'big brother' very seriously._

" _Nope," Missy threw back at him, daring him to challenge her remark as she crossed her arms over her chest._

" _Okay, okay," Josh conceded, throwing his arms up in defense. He knew she wasn't ready to talk about it yet._

 _As Missy stood in front of the steps that would get her on the plane, she threw her arms around her brother. The S.E.A.L. returned her hug tightly and kissed the top of her head._

" _Take care of yourself, little one. Call me and keep me updated, make sure to eat regularly and drink lot's of water -"_

" _Yes, sir!" Missy shouted as she let go of her brother, rolling her eyes at his motherly behavior. For a military man without children, he sure was such a mother hen._

"Ms. Preston?" Yuzuha Hitachiin called from where she was lounging on the other side of the room, a glass of brandy in hand. She swirled it around slowly, allowing the ice to clink against the glass. There was a tablet on her lap, displaying notes and designs for her collection, something she had been going over meticulously since they boarded the plane an hour earlier. "Could you come look at something for me?"

Missy stood up and crossed the area to take the seat next to the fashion designer. "What did you want to show me?"

Yuzuha smiled at the girl's use of Japanese. "Have you been working with a translator? I assumed that we would have to find one for you once we arrived."

The model shook her head in response. "No, I speak Japanese fluently." When Yuzuha looked like she wanted to ask why, Missy interjected quickly. "It's a long story. So, what did you want to show me?"

The red-headed woman swiped the screen, pulling up a picture of two identical teenage boys smiling widely at the camera, their arms around each other.

"These are my sons, Hikaru and Kaoru," Yuzuha stated, just a hint of pride in her voice. "They're your age, actually."

"They have your eyes," Missy remarked. "Do they have an interest in fashion, too?"

"They do. Though I think Kaoru has a better eye for design than his brother, Hikaru is better with other areas of the industry, but it'll be a few years before they graduate."

Missy leaned in to look at the picture. They really were identical, though there was something in their gaze that seemed slightly different upon a closer inspection. "Which one is Kaoru, and which one is Hikaru?" she asked thoughtfully.

Yuzuha turned towards the girl sadly. "Honestly, in this picture, it's hard to tell. They're distinctly different from each other, but when you just look at them, they're perfectly identical."

"I can see that being a problem for them, and for those around them," Missy conjectured. "It can't be easy to always be mistaken for someone else."

"No," Yuzuha said with a sigh. "It's not easy at all."

There was a short silence, filled with quiet classical musical that filtered through the plane's stereo system. Missy guessed it was Tchaikovsky, but she wasn't really sure.

With a click of a button, the image of the two boys disappeared and the screen went black. Yuzuha cleared her throat before speaking. "So have you given any thought to where you will be attending school?"

What with all the work that had gone into preparing for the trip in the first place, Missy was ashamed to admit that she hadn't given her education any thought at all. The thought of attending high school seemed so arbitrary because of her commitment to her other goals. "Well- I-I uh, figured I could look at schools close to where the company headquarters are, once I get there," she stated hastily, trying to cover the blush on her cheeks for having forgotten something so important.

Yuzuha looked deeply offended and gasped audibly. "Oh my dear, you cannot attend just _any_ school. Really, the only reputable school near my home is Ouran Academy. You _must_ attend there! I'll call Suoh as soon as we land and let him know he needs to find a place for you," the redhead stated primly, pulling her phone from her leather purse and putting another reminder in it.

 _Why do I know that name?_ Missy thought to herself. "Ouran Academy?" she asked hesitantly. The model was almost afraid of what the designer was going to tell her.

Yuzuha leaned in closely in excitement. "Yes! Though the school mostly has wealthy blue-bloods, like myself, I think I could call in a favor with Suoh and get you a spot. After all, the semester only just started a week ago." The older woman looked the girl up and down appraisingly for at least the twelfth time that day. "Besides, you're cute enough that they'll probably let it slide. I'm sure once I explain the situation to Suoh, he'll find a place for you. You're seventeen, correct?"

Missy was absolutely blown away with how rapidly the woman could speak. It was almost hard to follow at times because it had been so long since she had practiced her Japanese, but with each sentence she felt the language returning back to her. She spared a glance over to where Myles was sleeping peacefully, worried about what the poor Russian man would do once he got to Japan and he didn't have Missy by his side to translate all the time. She looked about at Yuzuha and grinned. "Seventeen, last month, actually."

The model wasn't afraid to admit that she was proud of her age. She was incredibly young to be modeling for major designers, though she owed a lot of that to her relationship with Myles. Sometimes the brands she worked with treated her like a child, but most were respectful of her age and were happy to have a face for their lines that ran between adolescence and adulthood. With the right makeup, she looked like she was in her twenties, and her body was well developed for her age.

"Good, then you'll be a second year student."

Missy quickly did the calculations in her head. Second year high schooler was equivalent to junior in the American education system, and grade 11 in the United Kingdom, which was what she would be if she hadn't uprooted her entire life abruptly.

Frankly, the girl had a talent for sudden upheaval.

"Oh, that means you'll be in the same class as my boys!" Yuzuha said giddily as she pulled some lipstick and a mirror from her purse. Unscrewing the cap quickly, she continued. "I'll see if Suoh can put you in the same class as them, this way you can spend lot's of time with them and see how well you work together."

The model stiffened immediately. "The same class as Kaoru and Hikaru?"

"Hikaru and Kaoru, yes," Yuzuha replied absently as she stared intently at her reflection in the mirror while applying the dark red lipstick that would have looked ridiculous on anyone else. "Oh, and darling Fujioka Haruhi. I absolutely adore him. He's the best friend the boys have ever had."

Missy gripped the hem of her skirt, running her thumb over the end of red pleated fabric, apprehension settling in. She wasn't sure what it was, exactly, but something told her to be very wary of Yuzuha's sons. Sure, they looked sweet enough in the picture, but there was a hint of mischief in their amber eyes, a look that the brunette didn't like. "Fujioka? How long have your sons been friends with him?" She asked, trying to brush off her concern by asking innocent questions.

Yuzuha shut the compact with a snap and stuffed it into her black fendi bag, turning her attention back to the seventeen year old. "The same way they met all of their friends. Through the Host Club."

Before Missy could ask what a 'Host Club' was, one of the flight attendants approached the two women.

"Good morning, ladies. Can I interest you in anything to eat? Lunch will be in two hours, and we will be serving lobster thermidor. Is there anything I can get you before then to make your flight more enjoyable?" she asked sweetly, eyeing the empty glass of what _was_ brandy, carefully. Her name tag read "Yukino" and she had black hair cropped short, just below her ear, and a wide smile.

"A vodka tonic for me," Yuzuha said dismissively as she turned her attention back to her tablet. "No ice and just a splash of cranberry."

"Yes, Hitachiin-san. And for you?" Yukino asked, turning her attention to Missy.

"Just water for me, thank you, Yukino," she said politely, looking the attendant directly in the eye. While she didn't think Yuzuha's behavior was rude, per se, it certainly wasn't as friendly as it could have been.

"You don't want anything else?" Yuzuha asked, turning her attention to the model as the flight attendant scurried off into the adjacent kitchen.

Missy laughed lightly. "Honestly, I'd love a something with some alcohol to take the edge off, but I'm underage and I know Myles will tell my brother if he see's me drink anything stronger than coffee. Josh would have a fit," she joked, imagining what her half brother would do.

She didn't drink often, just a glass at official functions and things like that when it was polite to do so and people forgot that she was still a minor, because of how bad alcohol was for you, especially for your skin. Plus, it was ridiculously high in calories, and she had to watch what she ate constantly. Even coffee was a treat during couture season.

One time, at a benefit gala, an editor had handed Missy a glass of champagne and Josh had dumped the contents into the nearest potted plant and lectured his sister on the dangers of alcohol and inebriation for a solid twenty minutes. Needless to say, he wasn't a fan of his little sister drinking.

As the flight attendant returned with their respective drinks, Missy felt an urge to shut her eyes, a welcome feeling considering the length of their flight. She asked Yukino for a blanket and the girl returned with a fuzzy white one almost immediately.

Curling up in the seat next to Yuzuha, (who was glancing through sketches her sons had sent her earlier that morning) Missy felt herself drift off into blissful sleep.

 **A/N: I'm so sorry about this wait! It's been a crazy few weeks in my life, what with family and work and all this paperwork that I have to do for school and stuff. I hope to have another chapter up this week, but I might need some encouraging reviews to get there! Next chapter, Missy will meet the twins. Believe me, it's a moment I've been waiting for for quite some time! And isn't Josh just the sweetest? I modeled him just a bit after my own brother in hopes of making him more realistic.**

 **Drop a line, leave a review!**

 **-Wri**


	4. Chapter 4 - Flesh and Bone

Hikaru tried not to grimace as he watched the rising sun through the backseat of his limo. He really tried not to.

Unfortunately, after Kaoru yawned for the _fourth_ time that morning, he let his displeasure be known.

"I just don't see why we have to be up so early, on a _Sunday,_ to meet Mom at the airport. We never pick her up," he muttered indignantly.

"Hikaru," Kaoru chided sleepily, "she said she wanted us to meet one of her new associates. We're hosts, it's natural that she would want us to entertain her guest."

"Fine," the older twin stated, straightening his tie for the umpteenth time since they had risen that morning. "But I don't see why it has to be so early."

Kaoru leaned against the car frame, trying desperately to find a comfortable sleeping position. "It's an international flight, they probably left some time last night. I bet they'll both be tired enough to want to go straight to sleep, which means we can go back to bed once we're home."

The vehicle came to a halt as it pulled into the airstrip's parking spaces, stopping close to where the plane would land. Once it landed, they would drive up to the jet and pick up the passengers.

The twins sat in silence for a few minutes until the low rumblings and screeching of a nearby jet could be heard. Both boys looked up through the window, sitting up quickly to straighten out their outfits.

They wore simple black slacks and a white button down, one with a crimson tie, the other with cerulean. Whoever this new associate of their mother's was, they must be special to warrant being introduced to the twins.

As the sleek black jet, baring the Hitachiin name on the side, came to a halt, the limousine moved forward. Moments later, stairs unfurled from the jet and both boys stepped out of the vehicle, stopping just outside of it. Crossing their arms over their chest, they both leaned against the vehicle in identical poses.

"Geez, mom sure does take forever," Hikaru muttered. His younger brother nodded, his eyes trained on the door of the jet, waiting patiently for it to slide open. The sooner it opened, the sooner they could leave and go back to bed.

A moment later, the door was opened by the flight attendant and their mother stepped out of the jet, large sunglasses perched on her delicate face. Yuzuha strode down the steps, an impressive feat considering the height of her heels, followed by a large man in a black sweater.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged glances, surprised at their mother's guest. Earlier conversations had led the two to believe that someone closer to their own age would be joining them. They shrugged simultaneously. Someone older was less likely to want to be carted around by two teenage boys. Less work for them.

"Missy, love, get out here!" the man said, turning back towards the plane after taking only a few steps down. He looked rather impatient and somehow doting when he spoke, as though dealing with a child or pet.

"Do you think he brought his dog?" Hikaru asked, scratching his head in indecision.

"Maybe, I head Americans always travel with their pets," Kaoru answered mildly. "Though he doesn't sound American . . ."

Kaoru trailed off as he noticed a third silhouette emerge from the plane.

"Well that's certainly _not a dog."_

Kaoru could only nod in response as his mouth went dry.

A girl, whom the boys guessed was named Missy based on the older gentleman's comments, stepped out of the shadows of the plane. She was dressed simply in a pleated skirt and white button down.

She peered around the door almost hesitantly, but as soon as she saw the skyline her entire face lit up. Confidence exuded from her entire frame and a smile graced her features as she found herself hurrying down the stairs. "Come _on,_ Myles! Are we going to be on these stairs forever?" she chirped at the older man, causing a grin to form on his unshaved face.

"Ah, there you are galubchik, I was wonder where my little star was hiding," he teased back gingerly, grinning at the girl standing behind him.

The two laughed as they rushed to catch up with Yuzuha who was already at the bottom of the steps to greet her sons.

Yuzuha threw her arms open widely, just feet in front of the waiting car. "Hikaru, Kaoru, come hug your dear mother and meet her newest associates!"

The twins exchanged fleeting glances before stepping forward simultaneously to embrace their mother. Even if Hikaru was still annoyed with their mother, he knew better than to voice his grievances in front of other members of the industry. After all, appearances were very important in their world.

"How was your trip, mom?" Kaoru asked as he released his mother, his gaze flickering from his mother to the people just a few feet behind her.

"Oh it was very lucrative, but I am happy to be back home where the cuisine is a bit less greasy," Yuzuha offered brightly.

With those words, the older woman stepped back, turning her attention to the girl and the older man.

Hikaru, who was the first to remember the essence of their host training, stepped forward and took the girl's hand in his own, kissing her knuckles. "What an honor it is to meet such a beautiful young lady. Truly, the cherry blossoms in spring couldn't compare to you," the older twin said sweetly. The twins were trying their best to impersonate Tamaki, much to their internal displeasure. Sweet romantics just didn't suit their nature, but they figured they should at least attempt to be suave and welcoming.

"Truly, such beauty is to be admired. But to know beauty, we must know it's name. What is your name, beautiful flower?" Kaoru asked, taking the girl's free hand in his own. Truly, Tamaki should be proud of this display of fake adoration.

The twins, used to swooning after their lavish compliments, were surprised by the brunette's blank look that she gave the two of them.

Hikaru glanced at his brother. _She is American. Maybe she doesn't speak Japanese?_

Kaoru nodded, as if agreeing that the only reason the stunning girl in front of them wasn't responding was because she simply didn't understand the words.

"Let me try again," Hikaru stated, switching to English. Sure, he wasn't particularly comfortable with the language since he always struggled with languages, but he was sure he could get the point across. "Sweet flower, your name is beauty and we must know it?"

Kaoru had to suppress a snicker at his brother's poor grammar. The idiot had a very loose grasp on the complexities of the english language.

Myles was the next to laugh. "Flattery won't get you far with this one. This little thing has heard every sweet word in the book and she still hasn't swooned." All the Japanese words had flown over the Russian's head, but when he heard the stilted english come from one of Yuzuha's twins, he knew exactly what they were after.

Sensing Hikaru's impending embarrassment based on the blank look the formerly cheerful girl, (That Kaoru still figured was named Missy) Kaoru came to his brother's rescue. He dropped her hand gently before bowing at the waist, allowing a sincere looking smile to grace his face. "We are the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru, and we are pleased to make your acquaintance. Would you prefer to use english during our interactions?" he asked politely.

The blank look from Missy's face disappeared as she shook of the other twin's grip. "I'm pretty indifferent. My Japanese is a little rusty, but I could use the refresher if I'm going to live here for the time being."

"Well that's good to know," Kaoru stated, switching back to his native language. "Would you tell us your name?"

"Missy Preston."

Both boys looked her up and down discreetly, as if sizing her up.

And unfortunately, they could find no flaws. She really was quite pretty, with shiny dark hair, smooth skin, and a trim figure.

"So tell us, _Miss Preston,"_ Hikaru asked silkily while straightening his collar. "What exactly do you do for our mother?"

"She's a model," Yuzuha cut in cheerfully, tired of being in the background of the conversation. "And potentially the new face of our label."

Hikaru look back at Missy questioningly, a look which she returned archly. She didn't like the way the boy was looking at her, as if he was preparing to pass judgement.

The older twin mused darkly to himself. "She's pretty, I guess, but she doesn't look like anything special," he stated with a careless shrug. He turned to his twin who was staring at him with a look of disbelief.

"Hikaru! Apologize immediately!"

"What my brother meant to say-"

"I know what he meant," Missy cut Yuzuha and Kaoru off while Myles looked between each person in utter bewilderment.

She shot Hikaru a level gaze before continuing. "Of course I don't look like anything special. I'm just a person, after all. What else would you expect?"

Hikaru squirmed slightly under her eye contact while Kaoru sighed in relief.

 _She's not going to be bullied by Hikaru, that's for sure,_ Kaoru thought to himself. Missy's deadpan and direct response reminded him a bit of their newest host club member. "So, Missy, how long will you be in Japan with us?"

Missy slid a glance over to Yuzuha, unsure of how to answer the question. "It depends," she said, her gaze traveling back to Kaoru.

"On what?" Hikaru asked, having recovered from the embarrassment of his earlier outburst.

"On a number of things," she said casually. She looked over towards the parked limousine, wondering when this conversation would end and she could finally get in the vehicle.

Yuzuha must have noticed the girl's look because she quickly motioned to the chauffeur who came around to open the doors, ushering each person inside. "You must be exhausted from all the traveling, darling, so we should head home and sort all the details out later."

Hikaru's eyes flickered to his brothers. _Did she say 'home'? As in, our home?_ Kaoru shrugged in response, holding the black door open as Missy slid inside. Flight attendants had been busy for the last Fire minutes unloading the cargo from the plan and placing it in the trunk of the vehicle.

Once everyone was seated inside, Missy seated next to Myles and across from Yuzuha, and the twins lounging on the same row as their mother, the group took off, headed for the Hitachiin manor.

 **A/N: Believe it or not, this chapter has actually been done for awhile. Sorry about that. I'm so grateful for all the reviews and follows, and I'm honored by your comments. I'm sorry for the late update, and I will be better in the future.**

 **-Wri**


	5. Chapter 5 - A Dustland Fairytale

After such a long day of traveling (that had really started the day before), all Missy Preston wanted to do was take a long bath. Preferably, one with bubbles and water hot enough to remove the top layer of her skin.

And yet, she had an excruciatingly long limo ride to endure. If the Hitachiins hadn't been there, Missy was sure she would have just gone back to sleep. However, presentation mattered and she certainly didn't trust them to not do something nefarious to her in her sleep, even with their mother watching (watching was questionable. She was, in fact, flipping through a catalogue rather distractedly).

So, Missy stayed awake for the entire twenty minute ride, having a stilted conversation with Myles, reverting back to English for his comfort.

"Galubchik, what do you think about marking a shoot next Thursday?" The photographer asked, looking through his planner.

"That depends on the time. I'm not really sure what's going on with my whole school situation," Missy answered, pulling her phone from her bag to check her emails.

Spam. Spam. A sale for a store she didn't like. More spam.

"Oh!" Yuzuha said suddenly. "Yes, I'm supposed to call Suoh, thank you for reminding me."

"What about?" Hikaru asked, his amber eyes flickering between Missy and his mother questioningly.

Yuzuha grinned widely, skimming through the contacts list on her phone. "About enrolling Missy-san at Ouran."

"You can't be serious."

All eyes in the vehicle turned to the twins, though most of them didn't know which twin was speaking.

"Oh come on, she's a commoner. Ouran only allows the most elite," he defended.

"He's not wrong," Kaoru stated, echoing his twin's sentiments.

Hikaru shot his brother a grateful look. "Thank you, Kaoru. I'm not wrong."

"But what about that honor student, Fujioka-san?" Yuzuha asked pointedly.

"What about Haruhi?"

"He's a commoner and he attends Ouran."

"Yeah, as an _honor student._ Haruhi is allowed in because of his exceptional grades, but I don't know if the same exceptions will be made for Preston-san," Kaoru explained.

Myles looked taken aback. "Well, Missy has excellent grades. An almost perfect GPA, actually, in spite of her career," the older man defended.

"Unfortunately, Japanese schools operate a little differently than western schools. The High Schools here require an entrance exam, and schools like Ouran Academy are particularly picky about who they let into their system. Not to mention that the term has already started," one of the twins stated, not in a unkind way.

"Hikaru-san or Kaoru-san?" Missy asked, looking between the two twins with interest.

"Pardon?"

"I'm asking the name of who just said that," the girl stated evenly, her blue eyes staring intently at one of the twins.

"Hikaru," the twin who had just spoken answered quickly.

Missy looked between the two. Obviously, that was a lie, considering how quickly he responded. So the more helpful one was Kaoru? Missy tucked that information away for another day. "Hmm."

Yuzuha looked unperturbed by the words her sons had uttered, and instead just looked more determined. "I'll just call in a favor with Suoh-san. Besides, she may not have the background we want, but she has a public image, and we'll only cultivate it further during her time here. It's really a good situation for everyone to have her there, and that's exactly what I'll tell Suoh-san." With those words, Yuzuha dialed the number on her phone, placing it next to hear ear while the rest of the car lapsed into uncomfortable silence.

Hikaru, as Missy had determined him to be for this car ride at least, continued to send her stares that were not exactly hostile, but the word wouldn't be far off. His brother, on the other hand, chose to stare out the window, watching the scenery pass by. Myles continued to glance through his planner, jotting down notes periodically.

"Ah, Suoh-san, how are you?" Yuzuha said suddenly, a laugh escaping her mouth. From the tone of their introduction, Missy guessed that the two had been friends, or at least associates, for some time.

"So I understand the school term has already started, correct?" There was a pause, in which everyone in the vehicle waited for the end of impatiently. "No, nothing like that. They haven't gotten in trouble for anything yet. Give it at least another week before that happens. Besides, you know Fujioka-san and that boy of yours have been really good for them. Anyway, I have a proposition for you."

Proposition? Missy was surprised at the use of the word. She figured a call from Yuzuha would be enough to get her into the school. Was the designer really going to that much work to get her into the Academy? Missy tugged on the hem of her skirt, anxiety churning around in her stomach.

At this point, Hikaru and Kaoru's gazes each turned towards their mother in interest, waiting for her to offer up the 'proposition'.

Yuzuha brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "You see, I have someone that I would like to enroll in your academy. She's an associate of mine, a model for my designs, actually. And I had the most darling idea!"

Another pause.

"Oh, Suoh-san, you know me so well!" Yuzuha responded with another chirpy laugh. "When can she take the entrance exam? Tomorrow should be fine. I'll have the twins drop her off in the morning."

Kaoru turned his attention to his brother, noticing a flicker of annoyance cross his face. Once again, Yuzuha was passing the commoner off into their laps.

"Oh, don't worry, we'll have the design done before this semester is over. If it meets your approval, then we can move into replication and distribution before the end of Christmas break. Oh, they'll be the most darling things you've ever seen! Alright, give Tamaki our love! Goodbye!"

Missy had to admit, while Yuzuha had always been polite, she had never seemed so . . . cheerful before. The sudden change in demeanor certainly threw the model off.

As soon as the call was ended, the smile left Yuzuha's mouth. "Were you taking notes, Missy-san? That's one way to get men to do whatever you want. Of course, I doubt you really need help in that department, with a face like that," the older woman said knowingly.

Hikaru snorted at this comment and Myles had to suppress a smug grin.

Missy, however, seemed completely unphased by Yuzuha's comments. "What are the designs for, Hitachiin-san?" she asked. The brunette figured she would rather have the information out in the open from the very beginning. After all, it would probably involve her at some point or another. Missy noticed that Kaoru, as she had determined was the twin by the window, looked at his mother at her comment, clearly also aware that it would probably involve his effort as well.

"Oh that? I just let Suoh know that we would be happy to design and distribute new uniforms for the school. I'll say, I'm getting tired of the same powder blue blazers and those awful misshapen daffodil dresses every day. Whoever designed those should be removed from the industry," she harrumphed, an odd display that seemed contrary to the woman's usually controlled and pleasant demeanor.

And with those words, before anyone could protest, the vehicle came to a halt. Before the chauffeur even had the opportunity to get out and open the door for the passengers, Missy had opened the door and stepped outside. From where she stood, she could see two maids from the house, both with thick black hair, stride purposefully towards the limo, presumably to remove the luggage. A man with a receding hairline and many wrinkles on his rather expansive forehead, followed behind them.

As Myles followed Missy out of the car from her side, the Hitachiins exiting from the side which the chauffeur held open, the older gentleman approached the family.

"Welcome home, masters Hitachiin. And welcome to the Hitachiin residence, honored guests," he greeted formally, sending a patient smile towards Missy and Myles. Two footmen, dressed identically, followed behind him, opening the trunk and removing the luggage with the maids, and carrying it off into the house with the efficiency of ants on a mission for their queen.

"It's a pleasure to meet you . . ?" Missy trailed off, indicating for the man to answer.

"My name is Kenchi, and I am the butler of this residence, Preston-san. And if you and Tanner-san will please follow me, I will show you to your suites."

Myles shot Missy a confused look and the model quickly translated for the Russian man, knowing that the language was over his head. "This is Kenchi. He's showing us to our rooms," she explained.

"Yes, of course, galubchik, I really need to begin learning this language. I can't depend on you all the time," he grumbled good-naturedly.

And with that, the entire party, the Hitachiins included, followed Kenchi into the manner.

Minutes later, Missy found herself alone, (finally!) in her own suite, her suitcases placed neatly by the door by the footmen, with a promise that a maid would be by in a half hour or so to help her unpack. That left the model with just enough time to take a bath and soothe her aching muscles, tired from all the sitting she had been doing for the last day.

She pulled a band t-shirt and a pair of black leggings, some underwear, and some fuzzy socks out of her overnight bag. Grabbing her toiletries, she headed through the white door, gilded with gold, that was across from her bed, and found herself in a rather unnecessarily large bathroom.

The sense of deja vu was almost overwhelming.

The white marble countertops, the large mirrors along the wall, the massive tub sitting underneath frosted windows let in plenty of natural light.

It all felt painfully familiar.

Taking a deep breath, Missy set her items on the counter before heading over towards the bath tub, sitting behind a white partition screen. Why she would need a partition in her own bathroom, the girl didn't understand, but she knew it was a matter of decor in homes like these.

Her first, and only, complaint with the bathtub was that there were at least a dozen different knobs and buttons along the side. After pressing several different buttons, she had accidentally turned on a stereo system (which she hooked her phone up to, via bluetooth) an aromatherapy setting (something with a vanilla/coffee scent?) and unintentional mood lighting that took another two minutes to turn off (because she did _not_ want to bathe in the dark).

Quickly, she stripped her clothes from her body, throwing them over the partition and towards the counter, she hoped, and slid into the steaming hot water, sighing at the immediate relief it brought to the dull ache in her hips and knees. The model then took the hair tie from her wrist and pulled her loose waves up into a messy bun in an attempt to keep them dry.

Missy left her phone on a towel at the edge of the tub, allowing her to flip through her music casually while she relaxed. With a smile, she put on a band that Josh had introduced her to a few years back. He had even taken her to one of their concerts the last time he had returned from Syria. Listening to them always made her feel a little better, like she was still connected to her best friend, even when they were thousands of miles apart.

Sighing, she pressed play and allowed herself to slip further into the water.

 _A Dustland Fairytale beginning,_

 _With just another white trash county kiss in '61._

Just then, she heard the bathroom door open.

 _Probably one of the maids that was going to unpack my bags for me,_ she thought to herself.

"Thank you!" Missy called cheerfully as she heard her clothes being removed from the floor and the bathroom door shutting behind the maid. She wondered if it was one of the dark-haired maids from earlier, or a different one altogether. After all, big homes like this one needed a large staff just for the basic upkeep.

Glancing over at the clock, (placed conveniently on one of the tiled walls in her line of sight) Missy saw that it had been nearly twenty minutes since she entered the bathroom. She spent another two minutes avoiding the inevitable before deciding that it was time to get out of the water before she turned into a wrinkly prune.

Pausing her music, she reached for the drain in the tub, turning it sideways so the water could escape. She stepped out and reached for one of the fluffy white towels she had placed her phone on, grateful for the foresight in putting it so close to her instead of leaving it on the shelf with the rest of them.

Wrapping herself in it, she had to admit that it was incredibly plush, though not as large as she was used to.

Stepping away from the partition, she walked towards the counter, surprised to find that none of her clothes were on the counter where she had left them.

"The maid must have put them in my room," Missy assured herself, opening the door in search of her clothes.

Unfortunately, the clothes she had picked out were nowhere in sight.

And even worse, her suitcases were gone.

 **A/N: So, I decided to update again this week as an apology for being so bad about updates in the past. I hoping that I'll have a little more time now so that I can update this story once or twice a week. If I keep with that plan, it should be done before the year is over! I don't know, it all depends on the inspiration I receive.**

 **Thank you so much for the love on the last chapter. You guys are the best, and I really appreciate you all. To the new followers, welcome to my story!**

 **Side note: Anybody else in love with the EP Fletcher dropped recently? Most of the songs are the singles she put out last year and earlier this year, but I've been listening to Princess for the last hour and it's a jam. It has now taken a slot on my 'femme fatale' playlist.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading!**

 **-Wri**


	6. Chapter 6 - Heart of a Girl

Missy groaned in annoyance. She knew exactly what had happened to her suitcases and her clothes.

Clutching her towel tighter around her small frame, she grinned. It was a slow grin, not the simpering or sultry smiles she used for her shoots. No, this expression was tinged with bloodlust and a dash of a challenge.

If the twins wanted to declare war, that was fine with her.

But they would know that Missy Preston _never_ lost, and there was going to be hell to pay.

* * *

"She's kind of a snob."

Kaoru slid his brother an amused look. "You're one to talk, Hikaru," he teased.

Hikaru crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm just saying, she may be cute and all, but that doesn't mean she can just waltz in here and change everything."

Kaoru took a seat on his bed, the mattress dipping slightly under his weight. "You've got a point, but I don't think this was all her idea."

"I don't care, she's still doing it."

"Alright, so what do you want? To get rid of her? Mom would have a field day." Kaoru stated, a laugh in his voice. Whenever Hikaru seemed out of sorts, Kaoru always found it funny to watch his brother flounder all over the place. And this commoner certainly had his brother out of his comfort zone.

Hikaru grinned widely. "I'm thinking that we should do something to make her feel welcome here." There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, and Kaoru couldn't help the adrenaline that coursed through him. Any time Hikaru hatched a devious plan, it was bound to result in something entertaining.

"Didn't Kenchi say that a maid would help her unpack soon?" Kaoru offered, moving forward to sit on the edge of the bed in anticipation. He could practically see the wheels turning in his brother's mind as he understood the implications of his brother's statement.

He nodded in response, rubbing his hands together with glee. "And what does everybody do as soon as they finish traveling?" Hikaru asked his brother.

"Take a bath!" they both cheered, racing towards the door of their bedroom.

A few minutes later, the twins found themselves entering the guest wing of their estate.

"I bet mom put her in the first room, since it has a view of the gardens," Hikaru muttered before knocking gently on the mahogany door. They could hear music being played faintly on the other side, but they didn't hear any verbal response.

Silently, the two snuck into the room, suppressing snickers as they shut the door behind them. Casting a glance around the room, the quickly noticed two suitcases by the door and an overnight bag on the bed.

Kaoru looked around for any other article of clothing. "Do you think she took clothes into the bathroom with her?" he whispered to his brother.

"Damn it," Hikaru whispered back. "Go check!"

"I'm not going in there!"

"Keep your voice down!"

"Sorry," Kaoru muttered, a blush on his face. "But she's in the bath!"

Hikaru shrugged. "Mom probably put a divider in front of it. You know how much she loves that kind of crap. Just be quick about it," he said, grabbing the overnight bag from the bed and one of the suitcases.

The younger twin sighed. Sure they joked about immature things and general depravity to mess with Haruhi and Tamaki-senpai, but neither of them had ever actually seen a girl naked, and the thought made them both a little squirmy.

Biting the inside of his cheek to help fight back the blush on his cheeks, he turned the door handle and tried to open it as quietly as possible. He really _really_ hoped that there was a divider in the bathroom. Upon opening the door, Kaoru was greeted by steam and an aroma of mildly bitter vanilla, which was not unpleasant, as well as the steady beat of Western Music. Directly in front of him was a large divider, which he was immediately grateful for. Looking to his right, he was glad to see a stack of clothes resting on the vanity, as well as several fluffy towels. With a gulp, the younger Hitachiin reached out and quickly swiped the objects off the marble vanity and darted back through the open doorway and shut it behind him. He ignored the cheerful 'thank you' that Missy called from the other side of the door.

"Come on, Kaoru, let's get out of here. Did you get the stuff? Did she see you?" Hikaru pestered his brother, sending a harried glance towards the, now closed, bathroom door.

Kaoru held the clothes and towels tightly to his chest, a mild blush creeping along his ears as he noticed the black lace underwear in his hands. "Uuuh . . . yeah, I think I got everything . . ."

"Okay, then let's go!" Hikaru whispered, throwing open the door to the suite. "We've gotta stash this stuff somewhere."

The younger Hitachiin groaned, following his brother out of the room, darting against the wall as though he were in some dramatic spy movie, all traces of embarrassment leaving the boy's face. "We should stash it with that photographer guy. If we put it in our room then they'll know it was us!"

"That's not a bad idea, Kaoru. But do you think he'll be in his suite?"

Both boys glanced down the hall in anticipation. There were so many servants everywhere. If they didn't stash the stuff quickly, they would surely be caught.

"You're right," Kaoru admitted. "What if I distract him by recommending he visits the gardens before dinner? And then, you can go in and stash everything."

"That just might work . . ."

Kaoru felt a twist in his stomach. Sure, he loved pulling pranks on others, and that desire had certainly never diminished. Especially because it seemed to make Hikaru so happy. And yet, something felt off about this. He simply didn't have his heart in this set of mischievousness, even though Hikaru seemed to be walking on air with the use of his devious mind. Was he- was he no longer enjoying the same things as his brother?

The thought scared the hell out of him.

And so, he swallowed down his fears, and turned his attention back to the task at him. Shoving the clothes into his brother's arms, he strode across the hall, knocking on the heavy wooden door with his knuckles as Hikaru disappeared silently down the hall.

Just as the older twin slipped into an alcove down the hall, the door opened and Kaoru was met with the cheerful face of the Russian man who was in desperate need of a shave.

"Yes? What can I do for you, -?" he asked in heavily accented English.

"Kaoru Hitachiin," the boy answered, a sincere smile on his face. He was immediately glad that he had chosen to distract the man as he was much more comfortable with the english language than his brother. "Mr. Tanner, I was wondering if you would like to take a brief walk through our gardens before dinner. The property is quite large, and I thought you might like to see it before we break for lunch. Many guests have told us that they are quite inspiring and relaxing."

Kaoru could see the older man eyeing him curiously. "And you're Kaoru?" he asked.

Kaoru chuckled and scratched his neck sheepishly. "Yes, I'm Kaoru. I understand if you would rather rest, Mr. Tanner, but I thought I would offer you a bit of a tour since we do have some time, and the gardens are adjacent to the dining room."

Myles Tanner continued to eye the red headed boy in front of him with curiosity, but a smile eventually won out. "I would be delighted to have a tour. Let me ask Missy if she would like to join us, just a momen-"

"No!" Kaoru immediately objected. "Ha ha, I mean- uh, I think she mentioned that she would be busy until lunch, and we don't have a lot of time so we can't wait for her . . . " he trailed off pathetically. _Oh great. After that embarrassing display he didn't deserve to be considered the mischievous type._

The older man quirked an eyebrow questioningly. Obviously the younger Hitachiin didn't want him to involve the pretty model, but he was curious as to why. Unfortunately, the only way to find out was to play along with the ruse. "Well, if that's the case, then I suppose we should get going. Please, lead the way," he gestured down the hallway.

"Of course," Kaoru said, holding back a sigh of relief. "If you would follow me." With that, he turned on his heel, heading down the hallway in the opposite direction from the alcove his brother was hiding in.

Hikaru let out the breath he had been holding as he watched his brother disappear with the older photographer in tow. Darting out from the alcove, Hikaru pushed open the door quickly, dragging the suitcases behind him.

"Where to hide these . . ." He muttered to himself as he searched around the furnished suite in mild agitation. Time was of the essence here!

Spotting a large wardrobe in the corner, Hikaru quickly shoved the objects in the empty (thankfully!) piece of furniture before turning back towards the door. He did a quick sweep around the room the make sure that nothing was out of place before exiting the room, grinning as he heard the familiar click of the door knob.

"Now, to catch up with Kaoru," he said, rubbing his hands together with glee. This would certainly show the arrogant _commoner_ that the Hitachiin brothers were not meant to be messed with, or there would be problems.

With those thoughts drifting around in his devious mind, Hikaru darted down the hallway to find his brother.

0000000

"So, Kaoru, your mother tells me you have an eye for fashion," Myles said as he entered the garden.

After walking through the patio area, the Russian was pleased to find himself in a green area. He could see rows of flowers and hedges ahead of him, lining a stone path that lead to a fountain in one area. The path then splintered off in several directions, leading to various benches, trees, and even an ivory covered pavilion in one clearing. Beyond the foliage, Myles could see what looked to be a rather large orchard in the distance. To be sure, it was an impressive sight to see.

Kaoru eyes softened ever so slightly at the photographer's comment. So his mother spoke about them, did she? Interesting. Maybe she wasn't as ignorant of their abilities as he perceived her to be.

He shrugged in response, trying to hide the slight amount of pride in his voice. "I certainly have an interest in design, but whether I have an eye for it or not, I can't really judge that fairly," he chuckled.

They continued walking and Kaoru found himself on the right side of the path. He could brush his hands across the tops of the hedges as he passed them, and had he not been scolded for doing that exact thing in his childhood, he would have.

"There's no need to be modest," Myles answered with a laugh. "Take pride in your work. You don't think I became a world-renowned photographer by not recognizing my own skill, do you?

"I suppose there is a balance, though," he continued. "You must be hyper aware of your weaknesses as much as your strengths. Otherwise, you will fail to deliver the art you so desire to create," he said thoughtfully.

"Did you always know that you wanted to be a photographer?" Kaoru asked. He had to keep the conversation going, to make sure that Hikaru had adequate time to get away, or that's what he convinced himself of. There was no way he was _actually_ interested in the older man's life.

Myles shook his head. "No. And yes, I suppose. I always knew that I loved art, and I loved being able to capture it, but growing up in Russia, I didn't have a lot of time to devote to my interests," he said quietly. "Things were not so easy in Russia as they are in America."

The red headed twin startled. He was _not_ expecting the conversation to turn so serious so quickly.

"But that is a story for another day, _mylienki_ ," the older man conceded, shaking off the rather serious tone of the conversation. "So what do you design? Clothes? Shoes?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kaoru answered. "Clothes, mostly. I'm better at determining shapes and lines, but Hikaru is great with color and texture," he admitted.

And it was true. The reason the two often designed together was because they needed both of their strengths to create an article of clothing.

"Missy will appreciate that. It makes her job easier when the designer understands what things flatter her the best," Myles answered as they approached the large stone fountain.

Kaoru was about to ask the photographer about the model when he was interrupted by a shout from his brother.

"Kaoru! Kaoru!"

"We're over here, Hikaru!" the younger twin shouted back, turning to look towards the house as Myles did the same. Catching sight of the older twin, the Russian couldn't help but grin. These boys never seemed to be far apart.

Running down the path to catch up with them, Hikaru skidded to a stop only a few feet away. "Kaoru! I was looking all over for you!"

"Sorry, Hikaru," Kaoru said sheepishly. "I thought I would host Tanner-san for a bit and show him around. Would you like to join us?"

Hikaru looked between the two questioningly, noticing that his brother had chosen to continue using English to accommodate Mr. Tanner's needs. He almost groaned at the thought of having to use that awful language.

A biting retort on the tip of his tongue, he was immediately quieted by a commotion coming from the edge of the gardens, where the path met the patio of the house.

"Preston-san! You can't go out there like that! Preston-san!"

The trio looked towards the house, surprised to see two maids rushing out of the house, trying to keep up with a girl.

A girl who was headed towards them at alarming speed.

A girl who was dressed only in a white towel.

She wasn't wearing any shoes as she walked along the stone path, her feet making gentle sounds along the way. The girl completely ignored the maids rushing after her, not sparing them a single glance. Her gaze was focused directly on Hikaru and Kaoru.

The twins exchanged a nervous glance before nodding. Though _this_ certainly wasn't what they had in mind, they could play it off. Of course, their plan had backfired so it was time to play hosts again. This would make it impossible for it to be traced back to them.

As Missy strode towards them purposefully, one twin called out to her. "Hime, what are you doing out here like that? You'll catch a cold!" he said worriedly.

"While the towel certainly looks lovely on you, we wouldn't want the exposure to leave you ill," the other responded with a similar glance.

The first one spoke again. "Hikaru, why are you staring at her? Am I not enough for you anymore?" he whimpered, his face turned away in insecurity.

Hikaru then rushed to his brother's side, gathering him in his arms. "How could you ever think that? I would never look at anyone more than I look at you," he whispered.

Both boys paused, anticipating a squeal from Missy.

Unfortunately, they were met with an entirely different force.

Myles, seeing this exact response arising from his young friend, wisely took a step back to be out of the splash zone.

Grabbing one collar of each boy's shirts in each hand, Missy yanked them apart, abruptly ending their brotherly love fest.

Evidently, she was not a fan of their act.

"If you thought you could intimidate me, you're wrong," she hissed in Hikaru's face, her blue eyes filled with venom. She then turned to Kaoru, an equal level of viciousness in her eyes. "And if you thought I was going to sit in my room because I don't have any clothes because you _stashed_ them somewhere, need I remind you that I'm a _model_ and I show off my body for my _damn career._

"Furthermore," she added. "If you think I'm going to swoon at this incest bullshit you're trying to pull, you have _a lot_ to learn about Western culture," she concluded.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged another look, managing to keep their calm despite the fact that this slender girl had a hand on each of their throats.

Kaoru glanced over and noticed his brother barely containing his temper. He needed to act fast to diffuse the situation.

"So Kaoru-san, Hikaru-san, I recommend you tell me now where you hid my clothes before I start showing you the moves my special forces brother taught me," she snarled, her grip only barely loosening.

Kaoru looked up into her eyes, a glimmer of something flashing across the amber irises. Had he heard her right? Had she really said that?

He shook himself slightly. Either way, he needed to resolve the situation immediately, but he didn't know how to match the fire in her eyes with his naturally cool disposition.

Fortunately, they were saved by another source.

" _Doushenka_ , I was wondering when I would see you!" Myles called to Missy, deciding to save the twins before the sweet model decided to finally lay into them. "I meant to tell you, I think some of the maids switched the rooms. They thought they had put your things in my room first, so they moved everything to my rooms, thinking they were your rooms. We should get that sorted out in a minute. Why don't you go inside and I'll meet you in there?" He offered.

The Photographer could see the wheels turning in her mind as her grip slowly loosened on the twins' collars, a sigh of relief escaping both of them.

He knew that she knew he was lying through his teeth. Obviously, the maids hadn't made a mistake and the two Hitachiins were trying to mess with her. But ultimately, she trusted Myles' judgement more than her own, and if he wanted her to let it go, than she would do that.

Even if it pissed her off.

With an indignant huff, she shoved them both back slightly. "Fine. I'll see you later Myles." With those words, she turned on her heels and strode back into the house, making the strip of terry cloth have more elegance than a towel should ever possess.

The trio watched her walk back in silence for a moment, their lives flashing before their eyes as they imagined just how quickly the brunette could ruin them. For being several inches shorter than the twins, they were surprised to find that the girl could be incredibly intimidating.

Finally, Myles spoke. "I really hope you hid those cases in my rooms, or she _will_ come back and kill you."

"How'd you know?"

"Why else would you two try to get me out of my rooms to 'look at the gardens'?" Myles answered with a chuckle.

"They're in the wardrobe," Hikaru said with a shrug. "You should probably go take care of the princess."

Myles didn't say anything, he simply offered both boys a knowing smile and a shake of his head as he strode towards the house.

Both boys remained stand there for another moment, their minds engaged in a rapt contemplation of the turn of events.

"Well that was unexpected."

"I'll say. She didn't cry at all," Kaoru said plainly.

Hikaru looked at his brother thoughtfully for a moment before a slow grin spread to his cheeks. "No, it seems our new toy is made of stronger stuff than that."

The two lapsed back into silence. Could she be a new toy for them? They were certainly short on interesting things ever since Haruhi managed to infiltrate their inner circle. Thoughts of the petite brunette brought Kaoru's mind back to what Missy had said just moments before.

"Hikaru?" Kaoru asked quietly, shattering the contemplative silence.

"Yeah?" Hikaru answered absentmindedly.

"Did you hear what she said?"

"What, that she would kick our asses?"

"No. How she said our names."

"You didn't like the honorific?"

Kaoru shook his head in exasperation. His brother was so _dense_ sometimes. "No," he admitted quietly, more to himself than his brother. "She said my name first."

Hikaru inhaled sharply, surprised to realize that his brother was right. She had altered the traditional order.

"I guess she did."

 **A/N: Wow, sorry for disappearing for two weeks. This chapter was pretty long, (for me, fight me) but I'm really happy with how it ended!**

 **I always thought it would be a big deal for someone to say Kaoru's name first because everybody seems to lump their names together in that order.**

 **Anyway, how TF does this story have 95 followers? Y'all are too good.**

 **P.S. The next chapter will be dedicated to whoever correctly guesses the change I made to this story (besides the name, that's too obvious). They will also receive a one shot about the Ouran pairing of their choice.**

 **About the title change: this story has undergone so many changes in my mind since I first outlined it. This should be the last time I change it, and I'm really happy with where it's headed now. Anyway, thanks for reading!**

 **-Wri**


	7. Chapter 7 - For Reasons Unknown

**Before we start this chapter, I just want to say how much all of your support means to me. I originally started this story when I was coming to terms with my eating disorder, which is why it has such a special place in my heart. Writing has been one of the best influences in my life. Whether it's writing stories (like this one) or poetry, which ends up in my journal or on tumblr, I'm grateful for the effect it has had on my mental health. I couldn't ask for better readers!**

* * *

The morning following the clothes debacle, Missy awoke to find a pale yellow dress spread out on the edge of her bed. Evidently, one of the maids had decided it was time for her to awaken for her interview with the Chairman of Ouran Academy.

A few minutes later, Missy found herself staring into a mirror, her contour brush held expertly in her right hand. _Just do something light_ , she coached herself throughout the routine. After pulling her bangs into a loose braid on one side, she gave herself an approving once over.

Being a model certainly had its perks. She noticed that while the uniform favored the gentle curves of her frame, it was not in any way revealing, something she greatly appreciated. After all, she didn't want to be gawked at. The material was soft and lightweight, but it felt sturdy under her fingertips.

After putting on black Mary Janes, she shoved her phone and wallet into a pocket in her dress and headed out the door.

Of course, getting ready was the easy part.

After a quiet breakfast, as Myles was not yet awake, Missy found herself being led silently to a waiting limousine, trailing behind the twins. One opened the door while the other one slid inside, gliding across the leather interior. As soon as Missy slid inside the vehicle, muttering a quick thank you to the one holding the door, the waiting twin followed behind her.

Missy found herself surrounded on both sides, the two boys pressed up against her, their bodies too close for comfort.

"Hime," the one on her left purred, "you look lovely in that dress. That uniform suits you."

"It does, Hime," the other agreed. "Though I wonder if any uniform would suit you."

Missy grit her teeth at the fake display. "Would you two cut it out already?," she deadpanned, completely unaffected by their display of clingy affection, aside from the annoyance of their proximity.

"Oh," one said, raising an eyebrow. "You don't find our behavior to be-"

"Pleasant?" The other one finished.

"Not really," she answered. "Anyway, about yesterday," she quickly changed the topic. "I'm sorry about that, and I was wondering if we could start over. I was really mad at you guys, but I shouldn't have threatened you. I tend to lose my temper sometimes," she admitted. There, she had said it! Unbeknownst to the the twins, Missy had received an hour long lecture from Myles the night before about 'propriety' and 'getting along with others'.

"So does Hikaru," Kaoru said with a smirk, unlatching himself slightly from her side as Hikaru did the same.

They wouldn't admit it to her, but they had a long discussion the night before with their mother. Because of Missy's contract with Yuzuha, the boys had to at least respect the model, under threats of being barred from designing until graduation.

Reluctantly, the two had agreed to at least _try_ to get along with the girl.

"Hey! That's not true!" Hikaru protested.

Kaoru and Missy both looked at him with raised eyebrows.

Hikaru sighed. "Okay, maybe _sometimes."_

A buzzing in her dress pocket alerted Missy of a text message. Opening her phone, she saw a text from her brother.

 _Josh: So I heard you have some big test for a fancy pants school over there._

Missy grinned at the sight. She wasn't able to call her brother the night before, so she was glad to hear from him.

 _Yep,_ she texted back. _How'd you know?_

 _Josh: I have my ways!_

 _Missy: Myles, told you, didn't he?_

 _Josh: . . ._

Missy giggled, happy to know that her brother was still looking out for her.

"Ooh, what's this?" One of the twins asked, snatching the phone from her hands.

"Hey! Give that back!" she shouted.

The twin holding the phone, whom she thought was Kaoru, only smirked and held the device up higher, completely out of her reach.

He swiped through the messages. "Who's Josh? A boyfriend?" Kaoru pestered.

"Oh no," Hikaru teased. "Should we be worried that our princess is looking at someone else?"

Missy folded her arms over her chest. "Hardly. Josh is my brother. Now give it back!"

"Why don't you make me?"

"Wait, your special forces brother?" Hikaru asked with a tinge of shock in his voice.

"Yeah," she answered as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Reaching over Kaoru's shoulder, she was at a disadvantage by being so much shorter than him, so she decided the only option was to get a little closer.

Kaoru laughed and angled his arm further out of her reach, her phone pressed against the corner of the window.

Crawling into the twin's lap, Missy reached past him, doing her best to avoid completely leaning against his torso. "Give it back!" She said, trying to hide the laughter in her voice.

"Never!" Kaoru responded challengingly.

Hikaru laughed from his seat, seeing the model squirm because her vertical disadvantage. She really wasn't a half bad toy.

With a rallying cry, Missy lunged forward and pried her iPhone from Kaoru's warm hands. Grinning triumphantly, she gingerly crawled out of his lap and back into her seat. Looking down at her phone, she saw a bunch of sent messages.

 _Missy: andigidksihv fkfkfk7;9.8: &&bdjd_

 _Josh: is everything okay? Are you freaking out?_

 _Missy: (kkishbi &:!?_

 _Missy: voice message (10 seconds)_

 _Josh: Missy?! What the heck is going on? I thought you were going to school!_

The brunette groaned. Josh was probably fighting back his navy instincts, ready to go Team 6 on the twins. "Look what you two did! Now my brother is freaking out!"

"Eh, he'll get over it," Hikaru said with a shrug.

Missy responded as fast as she could to her brother's worried messages.

 _Missy: sorry about that! One of Yuzuha's kids took my phone._

 _Josh: it sounded like a boy._

The model groaned in annoyance again. "You two really suck, you know that?"

"That's what Haruhi says every day," they both answered.

 _Missy: of course that's the only thing you noticed._

 _Josh: my powers of observation are unmatched. So who's the boy?_

 _Missy: Boys. Plural. Yuzuha has twin boys. They're in my grade and they work for her so I'll be seeing waaaay too much of them._

 _Josh: Do you need me to beat them up? :P_

The model chuckled. Her brother really was the best brother a girl could ask for.

 _Missy: To be determined. I'll keep you posted._

 _Josh: haha okay, I know when to butt out. Good luck on your test! Knock 'me dead, scamp!_

"Scamp?" Kaoru questioned, reading over her shoulder.

"And what do you mean by 'to be determined'?" Hikaru followed up.

"Has anyone ever told you that you two have no sense of personal boundaries?"

"Just Haruhi," they said with a shrug.

Missy realized that she needed to steer the conversation away from herself. "Who's Haruhi?"

Both twins shared a look. "Someone in our class. And a member of the Host Club," Kaoru added.

"Host club?" the brunette inquired, giving the two auburn haired teens curious looks. "What's a host club?"

The twins shared another look, an identical cheshire-like grin on their faces. "Pass the entrance exam today, and you'll find out."

* * *

"Kurumi-san, please, take a seat," Chairman Suoh greeted the teen, gesturing for her to take the upholstered chair across from his desk.

There were neat stacks of papers and files on the transparent glass surface, one of which was open and had a picture of her on display. At a glance, Missy saw that it was her student ID from her previous school, blown up to be a half a page.

"Arigatou, Suoh-san, but my name is Preston," she reminded gently.

The chairman waved his hand apologetically, turning the page in the file. "Forgive me, you just look so much like your mother that it slipped my mind. How is Kurumi-san?"

Missy smiled tersely. She was used to people asking about her mother, and she was just as used to giving vague answers. "Well. She and her new husband are expecting their second boy in the spring."

"I see," he leaned back in his chair, a knowing look on his face. "Have you seen her since you've been back in the country?" the older gentleman asked politely.

"No, but I've only been here a few days. She'll contact me when word gets around."

The Chairman certainly wasn't surprised at her response. He was used to his students living lives essentially estranged from their parents. In fact, until recently, he had been just as distant from his own son and heir, something that he shuddered to think about.

If nothing else, Suoh Yuzuru was a loving and family-oriented man, and it upset him when he saw how many of his partners and friends dealt with their children as though they were pawns in an elaborate game of chess. As he looked at the charming half American girl in front of him, he couldn't imagine why her file was filled with so many schools. It listed a private academy based in Exeter England, a conservatoire in New York City, and then a school in America that he was completely unfamiliar with. Ouran Academy would be the first, and hopefully only, school she would attend in Japan.

Chairman Suoh nodded and glanced down at the files. With a chuckle, he changed the subject. "You know, when Yuzuha-san called and said that she needed a favor in getting someone into this school, I would have never expected it to be you. You certainly carry a better pedigree than half of our enrolled students, Preston-san, and the status of your wealth is well known. Is she aware of just who she has in her employment?"

"I'm not sure," Missy replied honestly. "Our businesses are almost entirely unrelated, and I dropped out of Japanese society entirely by the time I was eleven. That hardly gave anyone enough time to recognize my name, and as I am legally known by my father's name, it would be surprising if she were to remember such a short-lived marriage." And that was true. The designer was aware that her model was half english and half Japanese, that much was obvious by her looks and her accent. However, it had probably never occurred to the woman that the very obviously westernized girl was once a member of her own society.

The model couldn't fathom why she was answering the man's questions so openly. Maybe it was because he had such an honest face. Or maybe it's because she figured he already knew the answer to half the questions he was asking, and could easily find out the rest if he so desired. Besides, he was responsible for education. He deserved her honesty.

He gave her a sympathetic look. "Ah yes, I remember that now. I had forgotten about that incident. Have you heard anything about the situation?"

 _There it is,_ she thought to herself. _That takes care of that._ "If you don't mind, Chairman, I would rather not talk about this anymore."

Suoh nodded. He could practically see the walls being built in front of him. "Gomen, Preston-san. I seem to have overstepped my bounds." He cleared his throat, indicating a change in subject. "Now, about your entrance exam scores." The chairman put his elbows on his desk and leaned forward to get a better look at the forms.

Missy suppressed a groan. She was so behind on her Japanese history and she was sure it was going to bite her in the ass now.

"Your math scores were quite high. Almost high enough to warrant a scholarship, if you were to need one. And of course, your language scores commend you. Exam wise, you are perfectly acceptable to enter this school," he concluded with a gentle smile, looking up at her in the process.

She did her best not to exhale in relief.

"Of course, the curriculum order is very different in America than it is here, so we'll need to rearrange your schedule a bit," he continued.

"Of course. I expected as much," she answered, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice. She really did see it coming, though. Having attended as many schools as she had, it would have surprised her if she would have been able to follow the same track until graduation. Fortunately, she excelled in her subjects and took the more difficult ones when she could, which kept her ahead of schedule for most schools.

"As you have already taken, and passed, the chemistry course that the second years will be taking, you will be moved to the third years physics class for that hour," he stated. "This will free up a science period your senior year, which will be used for a free study so that you can catch up in Japanese history."

"Pardon me, sir, but wouldn't it make more sense for me to use that free period now to catch up on Japanese history?" she asked. Why delay and move her around when she could just keep the same course track as the rest of her year.

Suoh looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, hands folded on his desk. "I suppose that would be possible, but you would need to find a tutor for the subject . . ." Glancing over at the other files on his desk, he pulled up one with a grin on his face. "Here it is. Fujioka Haruhi. An honor student. A brilliant one at that. I'm sure Fujioka will be able to tutor you in the subject."

"An honor student?" Missy asked with concern. "But I doubt an honor student will have the time to do so because he'll have to stay at the top of the class. Is there anyone else?"

Regretfully, Suoh shut the file on the honor student and put it in one of the drawers at the bottom of his desk. "I'll have to get back to you on that. There might be someone else in your class, but I would need to check their test results first. Would you be willing to sit through Chemistry and study on your own in history for the next week or so?" he asked. "And I'll have one of my secretaries go over this and make sure that your schedule meets our course requirement for graduation."

Missy was certainly surprised. This school was incredibly accommodating to its students. No wonder her mother had always bragged about attending the prestigious academy in her youth. "I'd be happy too," she replied with a soft smile.

"Alright then. If that's all settled, then let me just say, welcome to Ouran Academy, Preston-san," he said approvingly, his gaze fatherly and proud as it rested on the newest student.

"Arigatou, Suoh-san," Missy thanked him, rising from her seat as the Chairman did the same. "Now, if you could just tell me one more piece of information. The Hitachiin twins mentioned something about 'Host Club' after school. Where exactly might I find that?"

And with those words, Suoh Yuzuru grinned more broadly than he had all day.

* * *

 **Replies:**

 **AlisonWest: I'm actually really glad you asked this question. It's pointed out numerous times that Kaoru often follows his brother's lead when it comes to pranking, making him a little less mischievous than his brother. One thing I really want to explore in this story is that part of their growing up involves an end of their co-dependency. A result of the end of that aspect of their relationship means that Kaoru has to evolve into a more independent thinker (as does Hikaru), forcing him to recognize that he does not enjoy all of the same things as his brother, and understand that he has to be honest with his brother and tell him no sometimes. Thanks for reading and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!**


	8. Chapter 8 - This is Your Life

The teen model pushed open one heavy wooden door, a sign stating 'Music room #3' next to it. The door was silent as she eased it open, which did nothing to prepare her for what she met on the other side.

" _Welcome!"_ came a chorus of voices, harmonizing in a pleasing manner.

Taking a quick glance around, Missy was greeted by seven boys in what appeared to be Grecian styled tunics with various accessories and accoutrements.

A tall blonde haired boy took graceful steps toward her, bending down on one knee to be closer to eye level.

"Welcome, hime," he greeted, a flirtatious glint in his vibrant blue eyes. The golden crown on his head shone brightly and Missy had to bite the edge of her lip to keep from asking what the hell he was wearing.

While the Grecian style tunic obviously agreed with his physique, the model felt the cosplay completely unnecessary.

The boy then reached forward and grabbed her hand in his own, placing a chaste kiss on the back of it. "Tell me, princess, is this your first time here?" he asked, still kneeling in front of her. "Which host would you like to entertain you?"

 _So this is a host club_ , Missy mused to herself. _Those shady twins must be around here somewhere._

And sure enough, after a quick look to the left, she saw Hikaru and Kaoru dressed in identical robes, each holding a golden staff with wings on the top and serpent twisted around it. The laurel wreaths in the hair hid their parts, making them look completely identical.

 _Hermes,_ Missy thought. _The god of mischief. How fitting._

"Princess?" The blonde boy (who was still holding her hand), asked again, pulling her from her thoughts.

And this is where the usually collected and mature model stumbled a bit. Sure, she was used to people fawning over her, but not while staring intently into her soul.

"Uh, yeah. It is."

 _Brilliant, Missy. How articulate._

But these words seemed to work magic on the blonde boy, dressed so obviously as the King of the gods, Zeus.

"Wonderful!" He practically cheered, straightening up and sending her a bright, and probably, sincere smile.

"Tamaki," came a cool voice from nearby. A chill went down Missy's spine and she turned in hesitation. She hoped that it wouldn't be him.

Finding the owner of the voice left the girl feeling nothing short of shaken.

"Need I remind you that you all have guests that need tending to?" The boy continued, an almost emotionless smile on his narrow face.

"But Kyoya-" Tamaki whimpered, but was silenced by his dark haired friend.

"Tamaki, allow me to escort our newest guest and explain the club to her." Kyoya'a voice was polite with a current of steel running through it, meaning he would accept no argument.

Reluctantly, though some more than others, the six boys headed towards the designations with several girls surrounding them. Of course, the twins managed to stick their tongues out at the model before departing, a mischievous glint in their amber eyes.

Missy took a deep breath, hoping the brilliant Kyoya didn't remember her. After all, it had been at least six years since they last saw each other.

"Miss Preston, if you would please join me," he stated calmly, pushing his glasses up further on his nose and gesturing to a seat at a table next to him. A laptop, presumably his, was open, displaying pages of sheets and figures.

 _Nope. He remembers._

The model spared a glance across the room, noticing the other boys placed sporadically, all working in pairs except the blonde she had seen earlier and a rather delicate looking boy with brown hair.

With only a slight grimace of resignation, Missy reluctantly took the seat he held out for her. The tall youth took the seat across from her silently, his attention immediately turning to the spreadsheet on his laptop.

Missy smoothed the skirts of her uniform, flattening out any wrinkles on them. After a moment of silence, she realized she would have to be the first one to bite. "So how do you know who I am?" she asked. She hoped, no, _prayed,_ that he didn't remember. She had worked so hard to put distance between her old life and her new one and it wouldn't do to have it all come crashing down.

The bespectacled youth did not look up from the screen on his laptop. "Believe it or not, Miss Preston, but I take the security of the members of this club very seriously. Among those that I must keep track of are the Hitachiin brothers. Obviously, it would not escape my notice when their mother decided to bring a foreigner, of sorts, back with her to be an associate. Especially when that new student is granted permission to become a student at such an elite institution.

"And in case you've forgotten," he said pointedly, fixing her with a level look, "you are famous based on your own merritts."

"I've only modeled in the west. You shouldn't be familiar with my face unless you're scouring couture magazines every month," Missy replied, her blue eyes fixed fiercely on his face.

Looking back up from his laptop, Kyoya replied to the challenge she had unwittingly dropped in front of him; to come up with reasons other than the obvious. "Yes, well a quick search provided many pictures."

The brunette nodded in response, slipping back into silence. She had no reply for his answer.

"And," he added, almost as an afterthought, his attention back on his laptop, "it would be rather callous of me to forget someone I had once been all but engaged too."

Missy sucked in a breath, though she shouldn't have been surprised by his statement. She knew as much was coming as soon as she heard his voice in the club room. She could feel the color draining from her face, but she did her best to stand her ground.

"Tell me," Kyoya said evenly, placing an elbow on the table and resting his face on his hands. "How are you Masumi-san?"

* * *

From where Kaoru sat, he could see Missy's face turn white. He was surprised, to say the least. She didn't seem the type to scare easily. Then again, if anyone could frighten the temperamental model, it was Kyoya-senpai.

"So you're both Hermes, right?" one of their clients, a small girl with dark braids by the name of Kira Katsumi, asked politely, bring Kaoru's attention back to his clients. She had her eyes fixed on Hikaru, a blush on her pale cheeks.

"That's right," both twins chorused, an identical grin on their faces.

A girl on Kaoru's left had a thoughtful look on her face. "Is something wrong, princess Shiga?" Kaoru asked softly, a gentle look on his face.

Shiga Hatsu, the oldest child of a television producer, shivered at the younger twin's raspy voice. "I-it's nothing," she answered, playing with ends of her auburn hair.

Hikaru sent a brief look to his brother, Kaoru, before moving forward, sitting on the other side of the shy girl. "Are you sure it's nothing?" he whispered close to her ear, but just loud enough for the other girls to hear.

The girl squirmed in her seat, trapped between the twins. "I-I was just wondering why you didn't want to be Artemis and Apollo," she mumbled, her cheeks stained red.

The older twin leaned back in his seat, his gaze moving from girl to girl around him. "We considered it at first, considering they _are_ both twins," he stated with a wave of his hand. Standing up, he continued speaking as the seat next to his brother again, "but the costume for Artemis would have been too revealing."

"You never seem to mind seeing me in revealing things when we're at home . . ." Kaoru chimed in breathily.

Hikaru put his hand under his brother's chin tenderly. "But I only _I_ get to see you like that," he whispered.

And with those words, the girls were once again lost in the flames of love for their taboo twins.

* * *

"How long have you known?"

"Since you walked through the door."

Missy nodded in understanding. Really, she should have known better than to come back. She could feel the tears welling in the corners of her eyes, but she shut her eyes to hold them back.

"I wouldn't worry too much about me revealing your past," Kyoya stated, fishing a handkerchief from his pocket and handing it too her.

Despite his cold exterior, Kyoya was not a man without sympathy. He saw the pain flash across her face and he felt somewhat guilty for having caused it, as it was not his intention.

She took the handkerchief with a nod of her head and a breathless 'arigatou.' "I'm sorry," she offered quietly.

"For what? Crying? Tamaki does that at least three times a day."

The model chuckled at his attempt at humor and shook her head. "No, for leaving like that all those years ago. I didn't even say goodbye."

"Yes, that was rather rude of you," he said evenly. "But I assume you had your reasons, though I was never able to find out anything from your family about it. You had simply shipped of back to England for school and never returned." He spoke thoughtfully, as though he had had time to reflect on the events.

Missy handed the handkerchief back to him, no longer worried about tears sliding down her cheeks. "I wish I could have come back sooner, but it wasn't an option."

"I'm guessing you have no intention of telling me why."

"Not any time soon, no," she said with a slight chuckle.

"According to the school's records, you'll be here until graduation, per the requirements of your contract with the Hitachiins," he stated, changing the subject to one with a little less emotional charge.

She was grateful for the change in topic. "You have access to my contract?" she asked with raised eyebrows. He responded with a dry look and she shook her head. "Don't answer that, I'm not even surprised. Just a calculating as you always were, Kyoya."

He gave her a pointed look.

"What?"

Kyoya only continued to stare at her.

"Senpai?" she offered.

He smiled that barely there smile of his and closed the lid of his laptop. "If you're planning on staying, then I should explain the club to you so that you can use it at your own discretion."

"Alright," Missy answered with a cheeky grin. "Explain away."

Kyoya had to fight the sudden urge to roll his eyes. He was surprised to see how much more emotional and forward Masumi was. As a child she was certainly energetic, but she was more reserved and shy whenever he saw her. Standing up, her gestured to the other hosts placed around the room.

"First," he said, gesturing to the blonde who was holding court with seven girls. "We have Tamaki. He is king here, with the highest request rate of all the hosts. His charm comes from his princely demeanor. He is flirtatious, but his compliments are well-meant."

Continuing with the tour, he showed her around the room, stopping at each different host. "You'll notice that the club caters to the distinct needs of each of guests, requiring each host to be the embodiment of different character types." He then gestured towards a tall man with dark hair, sitting next to a blonde child who was inhaling cake at an alarming rate while conversing with the girls around them. "Mori-senpai is the wild type, personified by his strong and silent disposition. Hani-senpai is our boy-lolita. He loves all things cute and sweet."

"Hani-senpai?" Missy asked quizzically.

Kyoya nodded. "Yes, Haninozuka Mitskuni is actually a first year at Ouran University, as is Morinozuka Takashi. They're cousins, in fact. However, because they have both graduated, they are only here twice a week, when their schedules permit."

"So you just have fewer hosts on the days that they have class later?"

"No, they each have a younger brother to fill in for them when they cannot attend club meetings and events. They are different types, as Yasuchika and Satoshi have very different personalities from their brothers."

Quietly, so as not to disturb any of the guests, they continued on with their tour.

"Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin are a rare find," the senior admitted. "Their brotherly love package draws in quite a few customers." He gestured towards the twins who were currently embracing as several girls looked at the twins longingly.

Missy suppressed a shiver. She didn't think their incest act was real, but it was surprisingly convincing to watch.

"And lastly," Kyoya said, gesturing to a young boy with dark hair who was sitting alone and doing homework. "This is Fujioka Haruhi. He's a natural."

Fujioka looked up from the book in his lap, a soft smile on his face. "Nice to meet you, I'm Fujioka Haruhi. You can just call me Haruhi, if you want. Are you new?"

The model smiled at the warm response. "Yes, this is my first time here, Haruhi."

"Would you like to join me?"

Missy sent Kyoya and questioning look. He nodded in response. "Haruhi has already finished with his scheduled customers for today, so you are welcome to join him for tea. We can discuss everything else later. Please, enjoy your tea," the senior said pleasantly before walking back to his table.

The model took a seat across from Haruhi, unsure of how to proceed.

"Would you like some tea?" Haruhi asked.

Missy nodded. The boy had such large doe like brown eyes that Missy found herself surprised that he had no further customers for the day.

"I usually have fewer customers when Hani-senpai and Mori-senpai are her," Haruhi said, as if reading Missy's mind. He placed the teacup in front of Missy. "So, what's your name? Are you a new student?"

Suddenly, Missy felt a hand on both of her shoulders.

"Don't you know, Haruhi?" one voice asked.

"She's our newest toy!" they both said cheerfully, nuzzling Missy's cheeks on both sides.

Missy fidgeted under their touch. "Get off!" she hissed. "Don't you have guests?"

"We thought we'd take a break and see you, princess," they both purred.

"Hikaru, Kaoru," came Haruhi's firm voice. "Quit pestering her and go back to your clients."

"Awwww, Haruhi-" they whined, but he shot them a look that brooked no refusal.

One of the twins sighed. "Come on, Kaoru, let's go." Kaoru gave a reluctant look to Missy before following his brother back to their table.

Haruhi chuckled. "Sorry about that. They're kind of a handful, but you'll get used to them."

"I hope so," Missy laughed. "Otherwise the next two years are going to be really difficult. I can't really avoid them." She took a sip of her tea. Chamomile. How soothing. She could certainly use a calming presence after the twins of mayhem.

After looking over Haruhi thoughtfully for a moment, she asked the question that had been on her mind since she met him. "Haruhi, why aren't you dressed up like the other hosts? Even Kyoya-senpai is dressed up as Hades." She didn't voice aloud her opinion that being the King of the underwold seemed to suit the cold senior.

Haruhi shrugged and answered with a shy look. "I don't always feel it's appropriate to wear the costumes the rest of the club wears. I prefer my uniform."

"How often do you all dress up?"

The natural host looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, Tamaki-senpai comes up with ideas probably two or three times a week, but Kyoya usually only lets him do one once a week or so, unless there's a special event."

"That's a lot of cosplaying. Do you always participate?"

"Usually. But sometimes Hikaru and Kaoru design something really frilly for me that I can't imagine wearing."

The dark-haired girl nodded. It made sense that the twins did most of the designing for the club. They were set to inherit quite the fashion empire from their mother.

"Although," Haruhi added, "Hikaru is usually more insistent than Kaoru is . . ."

A look of shock crossed Missy's face, but she quickly covered it with a mask of quiet indifference. "Can you tell them apart?" she asked curiously. Yuzuha had said that Haruhi was the twins' closest friend, so it would make sense if he could.

"I can now," he said with a shrug as he took a sip of his tea. "They're identical in how they look, so it used to be really difficult. But it's second nature now."

"Hikaru is the more emotional one, isn't he?" Missy asked.

Haruhi shook his head. "I wouldn't say that Hikaru is more emotional than Kaoru. Kaoru feels just as strongly as Hikaru does about things. But Kaoru is better at controlling his emotions."

Missy was surprised. From what she had observed, what Haruhi said had made perfect sense, though her observations were limited to only a few interactions. "Kaoru seems slower to judge. Almost, more cautious," she offered.

"That's a great way to put it!" Haruhi said encouragingly. "They seem to have taken a liking to you, though," the host observed, his undivided attention on the model.

"I work for their mother, and I'll be working with them a lot in the future," she answered truthfully. "That's why I'm here instead of back in the states where I was living."

"Are you a designer, too?"

Missy shook her head. "Nah. Just a model. Just another pretty face."

Haruhi's brows furrowed slightly and his eyes bore into Missy's. "Don't say that. You may be beautiful, but looks are only a small part of what you are. You must be really smart to make it into Ouran. What class are you in?"

The teen had to fight back the slight blush that was creeping up her neck. Normally, Missy didn't respond to compliments, but Haruhi was so _sincere._ "I'm in 2A."

Haruhi smiled again. "That's the same class I'm in. I guess we're buddies."

"Haruhi, you have cleaning assignments to take care of," a cool voice called from across the room.

Missy looked up. Sure enough, all the other guests had vacated the music room, leaving only the hosts in their grecian tunics behind.

"I'll be right there, Kyoya-senpai!" Haruhi called, standing up from his seat. "I never got your name," he added.

"It's Missy, Missy Preston," she said, extending her hand. When Haruhi gave her a confused look, Missy quickly withdrew it. "Sorry, western cultural thing," she said sheepishly.

"Thank you for stopping by, Princess. We hope to see you again tomorrow. Perhaps you will take the time to visit with me," Tamaki cried after her as Missy passed him on her trek towards the door.

Turning towards the blonde prince, the model gave one of her breath-taking smiles. "I'd like that very much, senpai."

"Kyoya, can we go now?"

"Yeah, we have things to do," came two similar voices by the door. Looking back towards the exit, the brunette saw both twins leaning against the wall in identical poses, a bored look on each face. "And she can't leave until we do," one said with a pointed look at Missy.

"Oh, sorry about that Hikaru, I can wait outside if you have things to do," Missy offered.

"I'm Kaoru."

"No you're not," came Haruhi's deadpan. "Stop trying to trick people, Hikaru, and go change out of your costume."

Hikaru's smirk was a welcome change from his bored expression. Pushing off from the wall, both twins headed towards the changing rooms to put their uniforms back on.

"Thanks, Haruhi," Missy said gratefully towards her classmate. "I'm trying to tell them apart, but it's going to take awhile."

"That's okay, Missy-chan!" came a cheerful voice. Looking down, the model found the boy lolita, Hani-senpai.

"Thanks, Hani-senpai. Maybe next time you're here, I can meet with you," she said affection already bubbling for the tiny upperclassman. She had to admit, he looked precious in his purple grecian robes. "Are you supposed to be Dionysus?"

"Hehehe yup!" he giggled. "Takashi and I would love to see you on Wednesday. Kyoya, can you put her on our list?" he asked.

Kyoya smirked at the request. "Certainly, Hani-senpai. I'm sure I can find some space for Masumi."

"Your name is Masumi?" Hani asked with wide eyes. "What a pretty name!" he exclaimed.

Missy shot Kyoya a dirty look. It took him all of an hour to spill her secret. Kyoya only smirked in response.

"So Masu-chan, what kind of cake do you like?"

"Who are you calling Masu-chan?" came two voices in harmony from the direction of the changing room.

Missy cringed. _Dammit, Kyoya. Can't you keep your mouth shut?_ The model raised her hand. "That would be me, but I prefer to go by Missy."

"Why?" the twins replied, throwing an arm over Haruhi's shoulders.

"It doesn't matter why. If she wants to go by Missy, it doesn't hurt anyone to call her that. Now get off of me," Haruhi demanded in a surprising monotone voice.

Tamaki, seeing the twins draped over Haruhi, rushed to the natural host's side. "Get your shady hands off my Haruhi!" Naturally, both twins only held on tighter to the boy.

The twins only grinned wider as Tamaki tried to pry their arms off of the host who remained standing placidly in the same spot. Finally, Mori walked over to the group and picked up the brunette, shaking off the twins in the process, and depositing the boy in safety behind him.

"Hey! Give me back my Haruhi!"

"Haruhi doesn't belong to you!"

"I don't belong to _any_ of you!"

Finally, Kyoya interrupted the squabble. "If you're all quite done fighting over Haruhi, it's time to end club activities. Hikaru, Kaoru, please take your guest home. Hani-senpai, would you mind dropping off Haruhi on your way out? It looks like rain. Tamaki, we have some figures to go over before you can leave. Now, everyone. Get. Out."

"Roger!" the twins shouted before they each grabbed one of Missy's arms and propelled her out of the room. They didn't stop their neck breaking speed until they reached the waiting limousine, and Missy found herself shutting her eyes in fear.

Somehow, she knew that visiting the host club was always going to be like this.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, okay. Long ass chapter. I'm actually really proud of this one, though. I always worry about my characters being ooc, but I don't think that's been an issue much with this story**. **And before someone asks, no, this is not a Kyoya X OC story.**

 **A special thanks to Wendy imouto chan and Error-VirusDetected for their reviews on the last chapter! If you haven't gotten the chance, check out Error-Virus' story "Fountain Girl". It's awesome!**

 **Also, for pairings. I already know what it's going to be for this story, (well, one of them!) but I'd love to hear your predictions and thoughts.**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **-Wri**


	9. Chapter 9 - Be Still - Part One

_Don't Break character_

 _You've got a lot of heart_

* * *

She closed her eyes slowly, the mirrored walls disappearing from her sight.

If she looked in the mirrors, she would cringe. She would know she wasn't doing it right, that she wasn't enough.

With bated breath, she waited.

Waited, for the steady pulse that meant it was time to move.

As the volume of the drums and guitars increased, she lunged forward. _Step, arms out. Developpe, rotate from the hip._

Missy coached herself internally. Nothing was choreographed beyond this moment so she let her instincts take over.

 _They all need something to hold on to_

 _They all mean well._

 _Pay your respects to society that's giving me hell._

Pirouette. Turn one. Two. Three. Four. _Good._ Close fourth position.

She angled away, rolling through her torso. Pivot turn. Chasse, step, leap.

That was her favorite part. There was something so thrilling, so _satisfying,_ about flying through the air, if only for a split second. She knew her legs weren't as straight as they should be, she knew she was sicling her back foot.

But if she couldn't see it in the mirrors, it didn't matter. Nothing was wrong if it couldn't be seen.

The brunette relished this kind of practice because it had been rare. When she discovered the mirrored room in one of the top floors of the Hitachiin mansion, next to sauna and steam room, she knew where the next hour or so would be spent. Her muscles begged to be moved, to be extended and stretched. They ached for the warmth that would spread through them as they tensed and released from the exercise.

 _You could never feel my story_

 _It's all you know._

 _You could never feel my story_

 _It's all you know._

Step, ball change. Chasse into a switch firebird leap. She looked to the right for this one, eyes open wide to see herself in the mirror.

 _Perfect._

With eyes closed again, she moved. Right leg into passe, turning over her left shoulder, she piqued for the next two measures. Throwing her arms out, she stopped, eyes still closed.

She could hear her own panting now. Her muscles were no longer humming with contentment, they were screaming as loud as her mind was. _Turn out, dammit,_ she chided.

 _How could he do that? All that she had worked for and he cut it down, just like that. How long would it be before everyone knew? How long before she had to relive it again and again. How long until she wasn't safe anymore?_

Fan kick, pivot turn into an illusion. Her hair flew out of the low bun she kept it in, reminding her why she preferred to only pull half of it back. Buns never held when she spotted in travel turns, and braids always smacked her in the face.

 _May your dreams come to reality_

 _If all else fails._

 _Give up, we needed the company_

 _Let's drink to your health._

That _bastard._ She couldn't trust him again. She couldn't make the mistake of trusting him again. It would get her hurt, or get her killed.

Chane turns ending in another developpe, plie with the supporting leg. Tuck, roll forward.

 _You could never feel my story_

 _It's all you know._

 _You could never feel my story_

 _It's all you know._

The muscles in her legs screamed but she continued. The fun part was about to begin, as she flipped over her back into a turn to pull herself off the ground. Left leg supporting, she began to turn. Fouette turns. Her favorite challenge. Plie, rotate right knee. That's one. Repeat.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Her body screamed abuse but she ignored it. She could handle the pain.

Repeat. Repeat.

She felt her ankle wobble.

Repeat.

That's when she crumpled to the ground, blue eyes finally opening as she threw her hands out in front of her to catch her what against the smooth hardwood.

"Dammit!" she hissed, reaching out to touch her ankle.

"Are you alright?" a raspy voice asked from the entrance of the room.

Gently, she rotated the ankle. Nothing was broken, nothing was sprained. Just her pride. Apprehension flooded her thoughts as she recognized the voice as belonging to one of the twins. Still, she had to play the part and she had to be friendly. So far, the twins hadn't done her any real harm, just inconvenienced and irritated her.

 _I will not fold_

 _She's in control._

 _I will not fold_

 _She's in control of everything and everything._

Missy shook her head and ran a hand through the loose waves. "Nothing injured but my pride."

"Mind if I take a look?" he asked as he walked towards her, kneeling down only a foot away.

"Go ahead." She moved her foot toward him. There was no harm in letting him look, she decided.

He took it gently in his hands, fingertips brushing over her left ankle. She winced when he touched it, causing him to look up at her in alarm. Biting her lip, Missy looked away.

"Kaoru?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hm?" he asked, rotating the ankle slightly. He looked up at her with golden eyes, framed by long lashes, for just a moment.

"Thought so," she mumbled.

After inspecting the injury to his own satisfaction, Kaoru placed her ankle back on the floor gently. "Well, I'm not a doctor," he said with a slight smirk, "but I think you'll live."

"Oh, gee, thanks. Good to know," Missy replied, rolling her eyes. "It's just bruised. A little ice and I'll be fine."

Wordlessly, Kaoru stood up. He put his hand out to the fallen model, who took it hesitantly, pulling her into a standing position in the process. "Can you walk on it?" he asked.

Applying a little pressure to her foot, the brunette noticed that the pain wasn't unmanageable. "Yeah, I can. I'll just need to walk slowly, maybe hold onto some walls," she replied with a shrug.

"How long were you standing there?" she asked. Hopefully not long. She was out of practice and out of shape. Not to mention, she wasn't even critiquing her own movements, so they must've looked at least somewhat clunky and unchoreographed.

"Not too long."

Missy grimaced. "Sorry about that," she muttered. "I'm out of practice. I haven't had good studio time in awhile . . ."

"Don't be sorry. It was kind of cool," the younger twin answered. They exited the studio at a slow pace to accommodate the injured girl.

She couldn't help but blush a little at his comment. Sure, he was just saying it to be nice, but it was still surprising to hear.

After all the antics of the Hitachiin twins, it was hard to believe that they could act so sincerely. And yet, here was Kaoru taking the time to not only help her, but to compliment her as well. Maybe it was because he was alone?

She decided that she liked Kaoru more when he was alone.

"When did you start dancing?" he asked, looking over at her again.

She decided that she liked the soft smile he had. "When I was three. At first it was just a way to focus my energy, but the boarding schools I went to always fostered my love of it, so I entered a conservatory when I was eleven. Now it's just something I do to stay in shape."

The red head looked at her questioningly, as if confused by her statement.

"You know, because I'm a model. I have a strict diet and exercise plan. And ballet barre beats weight lifting every day," she muttered.

"Hikaru and I lift weights sometimes. I can see the appeal in dancing over a bunch of sweaty guys trying to deadlift three times their own body weight," he chuckled, looking over at her again, a slight frown forming on his face. "We didn't design that."

Missy looked down at her attire. Black leggings, a loose white sleeveless tank with deep cuts on the side and a high collar. It billowed when she walked, and it was breezy. "Of course not," she said with a snort. "Your label hasn't even looked at activewear, let alone dancewear."

"Activewear?" he asked, running hand through his auburn hair.

"Yeah. If you designed _good_ active and dancewear, I wouldn't have to sneak around in my Nike and VS leggings all the time," she teased. Truthfully, even if they designed killer active and dancewear, she would never discard her Nikes. They were at that perfect level of worn where they practically molded to her body whenever she put them on.

Kaoru nodded thoughtfully. "Does that include that _awful_ shoes you're wearing?"

"They're _toe pads._ Not shoes. No way I'd wear these for anything other than contemporary. But, speaking of contemporary . . . " she trailed off.

The boy looked at her in question as they continued down the hallway.

"Why does your family have a dance studio?" she asked. It _was_ something she had been wondering since she had found the room earlier that afternoon.

The corner of his mouth quirked up ever so slightly. "You haven't met my sister yet, have you?"

"Your mother never said she had a daughter." A twinge went up her leg as she took another step. Gritting her teeth ever so slightly, she continued on.

Kaoru sighed and put both arms on the back of his head as he continued to walk forward, gaze constantly straying to the model who was steadily following behind him. "I'm not surprised. Ageha goes to a boarding school, so we don't see her very often. She's pretty smart, but she's a bit of a brat, too. Anyway, she was convinced she was going to be the next Svetlana Zharkovna and threw a fit until my parents added a studio for her. Unfortunately, ballet is a lot harder than it looks, and she didn't have the determination to pursue it."

As a dancer herself, Missy could hardly be surprised. After all, it had taken her years to get to the level she was at now, and she loved dancing.

Missy looked ahead and almost groaned at the sight. She had to go down stairs. "What floor is the kitchen on?" she interrupted.

"The first," Kaoru replied with a cheeky grin. "Need help?"

"Nope," she answered wryly. The teen clutched the banister tightly as she leaned against it, hopping from step to step, while Kaoru watched with an amused smirk on his face.

"You look ridiculous."

"Shut up."

"You know, I could help you."

She turned to give him an irritated look, right hand still clutched tightly to the banister.

Kaoru through up his hands defensively, stepping down to stand just above her. "Just a suggestion."

"I don't need your help."

The young Hitachiin sighed as she continued to hop in the most absurd fashion. He sauntered after her, admiring her determination while remaining someone annoyed at her stubbornness. Seriously, why wouldn't she let him help her?

The model turned to him in triumph as she reached the last step. "Ha! I made it, and I didn't even need your help," she cheered smugly.

Kaoru followed closely behind, leaning towards the girl to give his response. "Good job making it down the first of _four_ flights." He smirked devilishly at her while she just groaned.

"Why does your house have to be so _big?"_ she whined.

"You know, my offer still stands."

"I can do it on my own."

"Never said you couldn't," he responded with a shrug. "It's just going to take a lot longer for us to get to the kitchen."

Missy stopped walking (okay, hobbling) for a minute and wrinkled her nose. "What's the catch?" she asked suspiciously.

His golden eyes opened wide and he put his hand on his heart. "My lady, you wound me! I would never resort to trickery. It is my duty, as a member of the Elite Ouran Host Club, to make every girl happy." She could practically _smell_ the roses that should have been blooming behind him at his chivalrous declaration.

Snorting in reply, Missy had to admit to herself that the younger twin was certainly more fun to be around. She then had to wonder if the other twin was also much easier to deal with one on one.

"I'll make you a deal. _If_ I fall, you can carry me the rest of the way. If I don't, you have to trudge along behind me the entire way."

"That's the only offer you're going to make, isn't it?"

"Take it or leave it."

Kaoru sighed. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down for a moment, as if debating her terms. He looked up at her, his amber eyes soft. "Alright, let's keep going."

Several flights of stairs, constant whining protests from Kaoru, several close calls from Missy, and at least fifteen minutes later, the pair of teens found themselves in a large kitchen area. There were servants milling about, moving from task to task with precision to prepare the evening's meal.

"Monotami-san, which freezer would I find an ice pack in?" Kaoru asked a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes who was wringing her hands through a dish towel with vigor.

The woman looked up abruptly. "Hitachiin-sama, are you hurt?" she asked, discarding the rag with a look of concern.

Kaoru shook his head and gave the woman another one of his uniquely soft smiles. "No, but Preston-san has hurt her ankle and could use an ice pack," he stated, gesturing to the young woman next to him.

Missy waved and offered a polite hello while the older woman approached her. She clucked her tongue. "She's too thin," she observed, "that's why she is hurt."

The model bit her lip, holding back the harsh reply. Kaoru seemed to sense the tension immediately and intercepted.

"Monotami-san, Preston-san is a model for my mother. Now, which freezer?" he asked again.

Monotami seemed to look over the teen again with newfound eyes. "She is very pretty. I see why your mother picked her. Now," she conceded, pointing towards a large freezer in the corner of the massive kitchens, "top shelf in there. You take good care of your friend, Hitachiin-sama? You always were the sweeter one."

Now it was Kaoru's turn to blush a bit at the older woman's praise. "Thank you, Monotami-san." As the younger Hitachiin turned towards the freezer, he was surprised to find that Missy had already pulled open the door and was reaching for the top shelf. She stood on the toes of her uninjured foot, grabbing an unused pack before turning around and closing the door.

"Thank you for your help, Monotami-san. It was a pleasure to meet you," Missy said, giving the woman one of her professional smiles. After all these years, the girl knew her way around charming people. Few had ever been able to resist the sweetness of her smiles.

The woman seemed to beam at the young girl. "It was my pleasure," she said before turning back to her work.

Kaoru followed Missy to a prep room that stood between the kitchen and dining room.

"Here, let me help you," Kaoru offered as he saw her struggling to open the package.

She shot him a look. "It's fine, I can do it."

Oh _that was it._ "How hard is it-"

"Kaoru?"

The younger twin was interrupted by the call of his brother, which was probably for the best. Both Kaoru and Missy looked up to see HIkaru coming through the dining room, a worried expression on his face. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!"

Kaoru adopted a bashful expression and took a step away from the model. "Sorry, Hikaru. I was helping Missy-san get some ice," he explained.

Hikaru's gaze flickered to the girl. "What did you do?" he asked.

She shot him a reproachful book and held up her bag of ice. "I fell."

Rolling his eyes, Hikaru reached forward and grabbed his brother's hand. "Come one, Kaoru, we have things to do. We have to finish that outline for the collection and I need your help with some of the lengths," he said, dragging his brother with him. Before they disappeared around the corner, Kaoru mouthed an apology to the model, which she shrugged to in response. She saw the smile fade from his mouth as he vanished from her line of sight.

Breathing a quick sigh of relief, Missy finally tore open the package, gingerly placing the ice pack on her injured ankle. Hissing with the relief that it brought to the throbbing appendage, she took a seat on one of the nearby chairs.

It would be at least ten minutes before she was willing to even _consider_ standing again.

* * *

 **A/N: I received a PM from a reviewer recently that has me a little concerned about the pacing of this story. It always bothers me in stories when the OC is introduced and immediately integrated into the club and suddenly best friends with everyone. Seriously, that should take a lot of time, which is why this story will move a little slower. It's going to be a** _ **looooong**_ **story (for me, anyway. The longest story I've done so far). What I wanted to get across during this chapter is Missy's personality, which is why the beginning is so weird. It's her thoughts and feelings and it's a jumbled mess. Anyway, I hope nobody is upset about the pacing because I'm trying my hardest with the story. Seriously, I spend hours between writing and rewriting and editing each chapter.**

 **Quick replies!**

 **Thanks for the awesome reviews, xxxSerinaxxx! Josh is actually one of my favorite characters, and he will be heavily featured in this story!**

 **Dei: Ah! Yes! I always worry about characters that aren't mine being weird, so your review actually means a lot to me!**

 **Lot's of Love,**

 **-Wri**


	10. Chapter 10 - A Matter of Time

_Your feelings are your own_

 _Now you keep 'em under lock and key._

* * *

"What's the deal with her?"

"Hm?" Kaoru asked, finally looking up from the sketches in front of him.

After Hikaru had dragged his younger brother off to their bedroom to work on their designs for an upcoming release deadline, the older twin had done nothing but pace around their room and rant.

Kaoru chewed on the tip of the pencil in his hand. "Didn't we agree to get along with her?"

"That doesn't mean we have to talk to her all the time."

"I wasn't just going to leave her!" Kaoru protested. "Tono would have killed me if he found out I left an injured girl alone."

The older designer's brow furrowed in confusion as he sat across from his brother at their desk. "How did you run into her anyway?"

"You saw how upset she was at the end of club. I went looking for her after she practically tore out of the limo. The thing was barely in park before she was running up the driveway," he muttered. His attention turned back to the sketch. It was for a shoot for an editorial on their company by a magazine in Tokyo.

"No, not that color. Blue is better," Hikaru stated as he looked at the swatches they had put next to the outline.

"How dark?"

He shrugged. "The same shade as her eyes."

"This one?"

"Yeah, that works."

Kaoru looked at the dimensions on the sheet across from him. "We should raise the waistline a bit. It'll make her legs look longer." His brother agreed silently by looking to the next sketch.

"How many pictures did they say they wanted of her?"

"Just a few on her own. But the cover one is with us."

Hikaru groaned. "You didn't tell me we would have to be featured, too. I haven't even looked at what we'll wear."

The younger twin just rolled his eyes and chuckled softly. "Calm down, we've got plenty of time."

"'A few weeks,' isn't 'plenty of time,' Kaoru!"

"We've put together cosplays for the boss with way less time," Kaoru pointed out. "Relax. It'll be fine."

". . . I still don't like her," he huffed.

"You don't have to," Kaoru sighed.

"Yes, I do."

The amber-eyed boy looked up at his brother again, no longer sketching the outline for winter pea coat. "Why do you need to like Missy-san?"

Now it was Hikaru's turn to roll his eyes. "Because you seem to like her. And Haruhi likes her, I think. And Hani-senpai. Actually, everyone seems to like her," he admitted.

"Hani-senpai likes everyone," his brother countered. "That's not that impressive. And I suppose I don't have a problem with her, but you're more important to me anyway. We need to get along with her professionally, but I don't plan on spending tons of time with her."

" . . . promise?"

"I promise, Hikaru."

" . . . Kaoru?"

" _What,_ Hikaru?"

"I think she likes you more than she likes me. . ."

Kaoru brushed off the comment, though he did have his suspicions that his brother was correct. After all, he had taken some time to converse with the girl while Hikaru had just insulted her from a distance. "That's unlikely."

"She said your name first."

"That doesn't mean anything."

" . . . What if it does?"

"What if it doesn't?" Kaoru countered his brother.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep this conversation up. After all, Hikaru was never this insecure. But it made sense to him.

They played the 'Which one is 'Hikaru'?' game too often for Kaoru not to notice the effect it had. Over and over they played, never changing the name. People called them 'Hikaru and Kaoru.' As if that was the only order their names could fit in. As if, they had become one homogeneous being, that could only exist in such a manner. And for awhile, that's what they said they wanted.

But they always looked so sad when someone had guessed wrong. Tamaki had been right about that.

Because it wasn't what they wanted.

Kaoru was tired. He was tired of Hikaru being the face of two, even though their faces were identical. They followed _Hikaru's_ plans. They did what _Hikaru_ said.

How come they never played the 'Which one is 'Kaoru'?' game? It had probably never occurred to his older brother that Kaoru wanted to be recognized, wanted to be acknowledged. After all, there was safety in his brother's shadow. There was a sort of comfort in working behind the scenes of their relationship, just as Kyoya did with Tamaki. He kept things working. He gave in, he compromised. He understood his brother's emotions when they were too much for him. He sacrificed, and he gave things up for his brother when he could.

He had never resented him for that. Truly, he loved his brother. He couldn't resent his brother for acting selfish, because Kaoru had always allowed it, even encouraged it. He gave where his brother took, and he had been doing it for so long, he began to wonder if he even minded. And he wondered if he could live any other way. Truly, Hikaru was not to blame.

And yet.

There was a void that Kaoru was only recently beginning to recognize. Once Haruhi had begun to separate them in a way that only their father had ever been able to consistently do, the change had begun.

The spell was falling apart, and the carriage would turn into a pumpkin.

The cohesive relationship that they had built would have to change if they were going to be able to mature and live their own lives, independently from one another.

And that was scary. So scary that Kaoru had been ignoring those feelings for so long that he had almost forgotten that he had wanted to be told apart, to let his face represent his own actions.

But, and so carelessly so, she had reminded him.

She had reminded him that he wanted _more._ That he wanted to be part of a set, _and_ himself.

But he still didn't know how to merge the two ideologies, the two desires without shattering one or the other. Perhaps it was a matter of choosing one or the other. Perhaps he could not have both.

So what did he want?

Did he want people to know who he was? Did he want to be recognized? Did he want to step out of the shadow his brother had created, or would he remain a mystery to others? He wrestled with the idea every day. Because once he separated, once they became independent, there would be no returning to who they once were.

"What's that?"

Hikaru's statement pulled his younger brother from his thoughts, his gaze riveted on the sketch he had been absently working on.

Before him was a drawing of a loose fitting tank, long on either side and short in the center and back, sheer from the top of the bust to the collar, over a pair of scale patterned leggings. Kaoru smirked, recognizing that he was drawing _women's activewear._ He had never even considered the market before, and yet, here he was, absent-mindedly planning something.

A feeling washed over him like water being dumped on his head and he sucked in a breath to fight off the shiver that went down his spine.

 _So this is what it's like to be affected by someone? To be acknowledged is to be changed in some way or another._

And suddenly, Kaoru understood his brother so much better.

His fascination with Haruhi made sense now. Kaoru certainly cared for the cross-dressing host. She was the first to tell him apart, the first they chose to let into their world. But somehow, she had always managed to have a different effect on Hikaru than she had on him. He had always assumed it had something to do with his brother, but maybe it was something to do with _her._

Haruhi could reach Hikaru in a way that few people ever could. Was it possible that there were others that could hold the same sway? Was it possible that someone could affect him in that way, too?

These thoughts swirled around in Kaoru's mind, crashing against the recesses of his mind, opening memories and ideas he had long since forgotten existed. Endless possibilities and plans. His imagination was running rampant as though he had been recently unbridled, allowed to roam beyond the boundary that being a twin required.

Perhaps the acknowledgement of another was all it would take to change him. Perhaps the difference between the two girls was enough to compensate for the difference between him and his brother.

"Kaoru? Are you done spacing off?" Hikaru asked, flicking his brother in the forehead with a teasing smile.

"Sorry," the younger brother chuckled. "I'm just a bit distracted today."

A look flashed across Hikaru's eyes. "You said she wasn't important."

"And I meant it."

But they both knew he was lying.

Because even though they didn't know how or why, someone was approaching their circle, running her slender fingers over the barrier that blocked their world from everyone else's, deciding whether or not she had the strength to shatter the glass. Hikaru wasn't ready to let anyone else in.

Kaoru was.

And it was his turn to be acknowledged. _His_ turn to be recognized, to be changed. Kaoru ran his hands over the paper, fingers tracing the outline of graphite and smudging the edges.

Yes, it was too late now.

He never even had a chance.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter is** _ **not**_ **about Kaoru falling in love. This is him acknowledging the imminent separation, and that his circle must expand once again. It's him recognizing the difference between the two brothers, and how different people affect them. I just wanted to make that clear if it wasn't obvious.**

 **Replies: Guys, I'm trying not to be the kind of author that's bitchy and just wants reviews, but my goodness, I spend so much time on this story and there are 120 of you following this thing. Drop a line, give me some thoughts. If you want a better story, give me something to work with. If you want faster updates, talk to me. I have completed chapters just SITTING in my docs because I don't have the heart to post them. Okay, enough ranting. Sorry about that.**

 **Wendy imouto chan: It's great to hear from you again! author-senpai? That makes me feel so old! Haha, I'm glad you ship it because that's basically the story right there. Kaoru and Missy, being cute.**

 **Guest: I hope you're still following this story even though you aren't logged in! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **Lucifer Dragonlordh: Ugh, your words were exactly what I needed to hear. Pacing is a pain in the ass and I'm constantly freaking out because I always want to skip to the cute parts that are fun to write, but noooooo, stories need _exposition_ and _build_ and _plot and character development_ and all that bullshit. Glad you feel that same way I do!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Human

_And sometimes I get nervous_

 _When I see an open door_

 _Close your eyes, clear your heart_

 _Cut the cord._

* * *

It had been a full week.

A full week since she had uprooted her life, once again. A full week since she had set foot in the Hitachiin estate.

Six days since she had been admitted into Ouran Academy.

Five days since she had been assigned to sit in the same row as the Hitachiin twins and Haruhi Fujioka in Class 1-A.

Four days since Missy had stumbled upon Haruhi in the dressing room after one of the club's cosplays, consequently realizing that the honor student was a female. She had faced the wrath of a distraught Tamaki defending his daughter's innocence, and a calculating Kyoya who threatened unspeakable wrath should she spill her classmate's secret.

Three days since Kaoru had asked her to help him with his math homework because he was 'terrible at calculus.' Missy couldn't understand why his brother couldn't help him. After all, Hikaru was surprisingly good with numbers, something the model appreciated about the older twin.

Two days since Missy had requested a hosting session that was with someone other than the down-to-Earth Haruhi, or the sweet loving (although she did not eat any herself) lolita, Hani-senpai. Honestly, Tamaki's antics would have made a great drinking game.

Take a shot whenever Tamaki compares someone's beauty to an inanimate object.

Take a shot whenever Tamaki calls someone princess.

Take a shot whenever Tamaki touches someone's face without any real reason to.

Take a shot whenever Tamaki blatantly lies about someone's appearance or heart.

And if you wanted to get really smashed, take a shot whenever Tamaki smothers Haruhi with unsolicited affection.

It was a good thing Missy wasn't a drinking person.

One day since Myles had left in a hurry, declaring that his baby sister was getting married in a week and he _would never forgive himself_ if he missed the nuptials. He cried before he left, declaring that Missy would be alone for awhile, but he would be sure to check on her frequently, and that he would be back within a few weeks.

The man had a flair for the dramatics.

And so, it was Sunday morning that Missy found herself in Yuzuha's design studio.

The walls were _covered_ in various sketches, designs, and projects in different stages of completion. The finished ones were easy to find because they were framed with ornate silver filigree. Easels were placed sporadically around the room, sketch pads on them with drawing utensils on the eaves or nearby tables. The law of entropy seemed heavily at play in this particular studio. Large windows and skylights let in natural light for the room, allowing for the chaos of the space to feel almost planned. "Hitachiin-san?" Missy called from the entrance.

"Over here, Missy!" came the voice of the fashion guru. She was standing in front of a large sheet of paper, a pair of denim outlined and several swatches next to her easel. There was pencil tucked behind her ear, and she smiled as she turned to the model that was crossing the room to greet her. "What do you need? Did the boys do something?"

Missy couldn't help but smirk a little at the assumption. After only a week there, Missy was still only beginning to understand how mischievous and and troublesome Yuzuha's sons could be. Just going off of what the brunette had witnessed at club activities, she had seen Hikaru and Kaoru trip Tamaki at least twelve times, cover the senior's costumes in itching powder, and sneak temporary hair dye into his shampoo (they had done that at his house, she just didn't see the effects until club hours when Tamaki had stumbled in with green hair, shrieking at the 'shady doppelgangers').

"No, it's nothing like that. I was just curious about my living situation here. My contract states that my housing will be taken care of by an allowance set by the industry." The teen held a copy of her contract in her hand, pointing at the highlighted section as she passed it to Yuzuha. "Right here."

Yuzuha gave her a funny look as she glanced over the contract. "Well, I suppose it would be little questionable to have you stay here for the rest of high school," she admitted reluctantly. "Let me have one of my secretaries find a real estate agent so that we can find something suitable for you and close to the school."

"Thank you, Hitachiin-sa-"

"Please! Call me Yuzuha!" she said brightly.

Missy was taken aback. She had assumed that a woman older than herself would want to be addressed more formally, or at least include honorifics.

Yuzuha put her hand on the teen's shoulders. "Listen, we're going to be spending a lot of time together, and we're probably going to be very close." She leaned in closer, wrapping her arm around both shoulders, making the the model recognize just where the twins learned their lack of personal boundaries. "In a family business, between me and my boys, it's better to just call us by our names. It makes things less confusing, got it?"

With a quick quirk of her lips, Missy nodded an agreement.

"So, is there any reason you don't want to stay with us?" Yuzuha asked, extricating herself from the model's shoulders and turning her attention back to her work.

"It's nothing against anyone in this family, I just think it would be easier on everyone if I were to live on my own, and it would certainly make my life a little less chaotic," she muttered dryly.

Yuzuha pouted at the comment. "Well, I'm sure I'll still be seeing lot's of you around here."

The model sincerely doubted that she would be returning to the estate frequently once she found a residence of her own. After all, there would be no real need for her to be there for any reasons other than professional ones.

As she was exiting the room, leaving behind a slightly pouty Yuzuha, Missy ran into someone as she turned around the corner. Said person reached out to steady her, hands on both of her forearms to keep them from fully colliding.

Blinking rapidly in surprise, Missy looked up through blue eyes into the face of one of the twins. She didn't really know how to tell them apart at a glance yet, usually having to wait for one of them to speak or do something. However, if she had to guess, she would have guessed Kaoru. Hikaru would have already said something along the lines of 'watch where you're going, commoner!' and she would have had to bite back a retort informing him that she _was not_ actually a commoner, but that commoners had better behavior than he did.

Even a week of interactions had kept the two from getting along.

"Sorry, Missy-chan, I didn't see you there."

And there was another reason that Missy knew it was Kaoru she was talking to. Kaoru had recently changed the honorific he used for her, insisting that 'san' was too boring and 'chan' really suited her.

For a self-proclaimed gentleman, he lacked even the most basic sense of propriety.

"Good timing though, I was looking for you," he stated, his hands still gripping her arms.

Shimmying out of his grasp gently, the brunette continued on her path towards her room. "Why were you looking for me?" she asked over her shoulder.

Kaoru followed, walking beside her, a mischievous glint in his cat-like eyes. He reached out and touched her shoulder to stop her from walking. "I have a favor to ask."

* * *

"Can I do your makeup?"

Missy shot him a glare as she continued to brush her hair, parting it on the side.

"Seriously, can I?" he asked again. He was practically pleading as he leaned against the white marble countertop of the vanity in her bathroom.

"Why do you want to do my makeup?" she huffed in reply after dealing with a particularly difficult knot. "Besides, I don't wear a lot of make-up outside of my shoots," the brunette added quickly.

In reply, Kaoru held up an egg shaped sponge with a pointed tip.

"Put the beautyblender down, Kaoru-kun."

He pouted in reply, but refused to put the sponge down. "You're so mean."

Missy sighed as she put the hairbrush down, reaching for a headband to pull her hair back. "Fine. But keep it simple," she warned as she sank into the plush seat next to her. She still had a full view of the mirror and all her cosmetics on the counter.

Kaoru's eyes lit up and he immediately reached for primer. "Hydrating primer? Is your face dry today?" he asked. She shrugged in reply, already regretting her decision.

Pouring a drop of the bottle's contents into his hands, he rubbed it on the tips of his fingers and took a step closer to her, inspecting her face.

Missy closed her eyes, expecting him run his hands roughly over her face, leaving the primer in streaks. Instead, she felt him gently applying pressure to her skin, starting with her nose and working outward in gentle circles. His touch was surprisingly calming, almost _soothing._

When he removed his hands from her face, she opened her eyes. A buzz sounded to her right and she reached for her phone on the counter.

 _Josh: How's school going, scamp? Acing your classes?_

She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she typed out her reply.

 _Missy: I've been here a week. That's hardly ample time to fail a class._

 _Josh: I did it once._

 _Missy: Yeah, well, you're special._

Flipping to her music app, she looked up to see Kaoru going through bottles of liquid foundation and holding them up and looking at her.

"Kaoru-kun?"

"Hm?"

". . . Are you trying to mentally swatch my foundation?"

". . . yeah."

She laughed at this. A real laugh, not a gentle chuckle or an exhale that indicated amusement. No, a _real laugh._

He had never heard her laugh like that before, the kind of laugh where her whole face lit up and she looked like if it went for too long, she wouldn't be able to breathe.

"It's not funny," he whined at her, because she was still laughing at him, after all.

Missy grinned widely. "Yes it is. And I recommend the one on the right," she stated, pointing to a bottle that he hadn't opened Kaoru began rummaging for a Color Correcting palette, his classmate turned on music. Western pop music, to be exact.

Kaoru wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Who is this?"

"Taylor Swift."

Reaching for the palette that he had finally discovered, he dipped a brush into a peach color to cover the slight purple discoloration under her eyes. "Close your eyes," he asked, stepping towards her again.

She obeyed wordlessly, used to the demands of make-up artists.

To describe the process in one word; gentle. His movements, as they were with the primer, were precise and smooth. When he stepped away from her, Missy opened her eyes. "How many people have you put makeup on?" she asked.

He grinned at her as he set the brush down. "Why? Worried I'll mess up your pretty face?" he cooed.

"Please, there's nothing you could do that would mess up my face," she replied smugly.

"Wanna bet?"

"Not really, no," she laughed. "No, I was just curious because you seem to know what you're doing. I don't know a lot of men that can apply makeup correctly."

Kaoru smirked in reply, pouring liquid foundation on his hand. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm not really 'normal'. But to answer your question, I've helped my mom out at a few shoots. Plus, Hikaru and Tamaki like to dress up Haruhi all the time, which usually requires wigs and makeup."

"She hates makeup, doesn't she?"

"Almost as much as she hates wasting time," he said woefully. He spread the foundation on her cheeks and jawline, moving from her nose outward. "Cream or powder contour?" he asked.

"Powder. Don't forget to set with translucent powder," the model warned.

Picking up a large powder brush, he grinned impishly. "Wouldn't dream of it." Spreading the powder along her face, the brush tickled the top of her neck and she resisted a giggle at his ministrations. Finally, he put the brush down, moving on to the next step.

"I hate cream contour. It takes forever to blend out," he grumbled as he searched for the nearest contour palette.

As he blended the contour on her cheekbone and jawline, taking time to shape her nose, Missy looked down at her phone to read an incoming text message.

 _Josh: Any security issues I should know about?_

 _Missy: No. My phone is still secure and I haven't hooked up to wifi since I got here to keep it that way._

 _Josh: You better appreciate that unlimited data plan._

"Missy-chan, can you look up? I need to finish blending."

"Oh, sorry," she said as she looked away from her phone.

Kaoru looked through the products on the counter. "How do you feel about a glow? Just a light one," he added. She wrinkled her nose in reply. "Okay, I get it. A little too much for a Disney movie," he grinned. "What are you wearing?"

"This."

His gaze raked over her outfit and his eyes went wide. "Leggings? Again? Do you even own a dress?"

She rolled her eyes, though she admitted he had a point. Between her uniform and all the dresses she had to wear for formal events and shoots, she preferred to wear more casual attire during her time off. Missy folded her arms over her chest. "I happen to like my leggings," she challenged. "They're comfortable and they make my ass look good."

"Well, I can't disagree with you," he said cheekily.

The model bit her lip to stifle the laughter that was bubbling up. She could tell that he didn't mean it in a derogatory sense, he was just teasing her and acknowledging the truth of her statement.

"Okay, how about a compromise?" he offered.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Belted tunic with leggings and boots."

"Boots, no belt, keep the leggings, hoodie instead of a tunic."

"Boots, tunic and leggings, no belt."

"Keep the boots and leggings, oversized sweater instead?"

He looked at her thoughtfully. "Fine, but I get to pick the sweater," he conceded. " _And,_ you have to accessorize."

"Deal," she replied, sticking out her hand for him to shake. He gave her a confused look for a moment, but then he seemed to understand because he took her hand in his and shook it firmly.

"Deal."

Having found a solution to her dress dilemma, she turned her attention back to her phone.

 _Josh: How's it going with the terrible twins?_

 _Missy: Lol, they're not that bad. One on one, they're fine._

 _Josh: Red alert! My big brother sense are tingling! Def Com Five!_

 _Josh: Hey, remember that you're coming home for Christmas, right? I better start looking at concert tickets._

 _Missy: Your big brother senses need maintenance. And yes, six hour radius drive?_

"Hey, who sings this song?"

Kaoru's sudden question pulled Missy from the conversation with her brother. She didn't even have to think before answering. "Taylor Swift."

"Didn't she sing the last song?" he asked, his attention on her new ABH eye shadow palette, a birthday present from her agent, Chloe Laurent.

"Yeah," she replied. "So?"

"Two Taylor Swift songs in a row?"

"I'm a fan, okay?"

Kaoru leaned in close, a cheshire like grin on his face as he expertly held an eyeshadow brush in his right hand. "Wanna know a secret?"

He was close. Like, _really_ close. She could practically smell him, and her immediate thought was _not a bad smell._

Missy was _not_ going to let this boy ruffle her feathers. She hadn't let it bother her when he and his brother _stole her clothes,_ so the fact that he happened to smell really good meant absolutely nothing. Lot's of boys smell good. Yeah, she needed to remember that.

He put his hand over the side of his mouth, as if telling a very special secret. "Hikaru likes Taylor Swift, too."

Well that wasn't what she was expecting. "Really?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," he grinned. "He sings 'All Too Well' in the shower sometimes."

"You're lying," she laughed at him. He had to be lying. There was no way that analytical Hikaru enjoyed the overly emotional stylings of . . .

Damn, he could totally be a Taylor Swift fan, now that she thought about it. Emotional with just a dash of jealousy and spite, yet somehow still lovable? He practically _was_ Taylor Swift.

"Damn," she said with a low whistle. "I see it now."

Missy closed her eyes, allowing for Kaoru to brush pigmented colors over her lids, blending in the corners. "He doesn't always understand the words, but he sings along."

"I feel like you've been doing my makeup forever," she whined. "You haven't even done eyeliner!"

Grabbing a liquid eyeliner pen from the counter, he smirked. "I'm thinking a wing."

" _Subtle_ wing. Only on the top."

"Deal."

"Pinky promise?" she asked, sticking out her pinky.

Gingerly, he wrapped his finger around hers. "Pinky promise."

"That's a legally binding contract, I hope you know what you've just done."

"You don't trust me?" he pouted.

"Not as far as I can throw you," she teased back.

True to his impish nature, he continued to pout as he held the eyeliner deftly in his hand.

She closed her eyes in response, ignoring that smirk that still adorned his face. He pressed his thumb against her nose, placing pressure on the bridge as he moved the felt tip above her last line. They both held their breath as he placed the wing tip near the corner, praying that it came out evenly on both eyes.

Missy opened her eyes, surprised to find the wings were to her taste. Small, but still sharp enough to kill a fu*kboi. "Nice," she complimented. "Where'd you learn to do this?"

He scratched his neck nervously, a sheepish look on his face. "Lucky first try, I guess. . ."

"What?! I thought you said you had done Haruhi's before?" the model shouted at him.

The younger twin snorted. "Like Haruhi would let me put such a dramatic statement on her face," he chided before picking out a mascara. "Better than sex?" he read from the label, a suggestive tone in his voice. "How can you even judge that?"

"Give me that!" she scolded, grabbing the mascara from his hands. "You don't deserve to touch this holy grail of a product, you fiendish pretender."

"Hey! That's rude!"

"You could have messed up my face!"

"I thought you said 'there was nothing I could do' to mess up your face," he retorted shrewdly.

The brunette practically growled at his smug expression. "Whatever, I'll handle the mascara. Find my setting spray," she demanded. She leaned in closely to the mirror, applying the product evenly along the top and bottom lashes for dramatic effect.

"Lipstick?" he asked, pulling a liquid bottle from her bag.

"No, I hate the stuff, especially when I might be eating," she replied absentmindedly. "Speaking of stuff I hate . . ." Missy trailed off as she reached for her phone, happy to find a message waiting for her.

 _Josh: Six hour radius works, that's an easy drive. I'll tell Marisol to start singing 'I'll be home for Christmas' in preparation._

She giggled in reply. Her brother was such a dork. Before she could reply, he sent another text.

 _Josh: Good luck with whatever you're dealing with that is keeping you from replying. Make good choices!_

 _Missy: Always :)_

"You done?" Kaoru asked, pulling her attention from her phone. He held an oversized orange cashmere sweater in his hands. "I pick this one." He then tossed it to her, which she barely managed to catch because, hey, models weren't really known for their athletic ability, and she was no exception. "Hurry up and change," he called over his shoulder as he left the room.

Pulling her t-shirt over her head, she quickly found herself dressed in the outfit Kaoru had picked for her. Soft, comfortable, but relatively fashionable.

And per the favor that Kaoru had asked of her, she found herself outside a movie theater twenty minutes later, accepting his hand as he held the door open for her, waving off the chauffeur. As she stepped out, she noticed that he gestured for Hikaru to do the same for Haruhi as he followed behind her. Unfortunately, as Hikaru held the door open for Haruhi, the honor student seemed completely unaware of host's outstretched hand. As soon as she passed him, Hikaru looked around indignantly, shooting his younger brother an annoyed look.

It was obvious to Missy that someone had forced Haruhi into the spring green dress that she wore, because it seemed unlikely that the no-nonsense host would ever wear something with that much lace. But the model had to admit, she looked adorable. The twins had, of course, sent one of their maids to Haruhi's apartment that morning to help her dress. They had even put some gloss on her lips to complete the effect.

And what an affect it seemed to have on Hikaru.

After handing their tickets over to the teen manning the counter, the students walked inside. Kaoru, ever the pleasant host, turned to Missy. "Do you want anything?" he asked pleasantly, gesturing to the concessions.

Glancing at the list of items, she nodded. "I'm going to go get some kettle corn."

Grabbing, Haruhi's elbow, Hikaru led her over to the snack counter. "Want something?" he asked. Anyone who didn't know him would have heard only annoyance, but Haruhi could tell that he almost sounded . . . nervous.

"We could split some popcorn," the honor student offered. "I don't think I could eat a whole one by myself."

"Oh, um, okay," Hikaru answered, the tiniest bit flustered at the thought of _sharing_ popcorn with _Haruhi._ After all, that was like indirectly _holding hands._

Kaoru stifled an amused grin at his twin's expression. It was sweet how lost he was in expressing his feelings, the feelings that he barely understood, to their naive and unassuming friend. Looking to his left, he followed Missy as she waited in line for the concessions.

"What are you getting?" she asked him, taking another step forward while eyeing a box of raisinettes.

The younger Hitachiin shoved his hands into his pockets before looking at the menu. "Probably just some popcorn. Oh, and some raisinettes," he added quickly, noticing the look she gave the candy.

"Are you a coke of pepsi kind of person?" she asked suddenly.

"Does it matter?"

"I think it does."

"Coke."

She grinned at him, a full grin that looked just the tiniest bit dorky. "Good choice."

As she stepped forward and greeted the cashier, she started ordering, surprising Kaoru in the process. "One small kettle corn, a large popcorn, small diet coke, medium coke, and a box of raisinettes," she rattled off, giving the bored teenager just enough time to enter each item before listing the next one.

"Is that it?" the boy asked her.

"Yep!"

"Three thousand, two hundred yen," he said evenly, reaching to grab the cups to fill with drinks. As she pulled her credit card from her wallet, Kaoru reached over her, trying to hand his card to the cashier.

"What are you trying to do?" Missy asked with raised eyebrows.

"Pay," he said evenly.

An annoyed look crossed her face and she shoved his arm out of the way. "I can pay for myself," she said indignantly.

Kaoru moved his arm back. "I know, but I asked you to do me a favor in coming here. The least I can do is pay for the snacks."

"You bought the tickets," she pointed out.

"I did," he agreed.

The poor cashier looked between the two teens with an annoyed look, both credit cards equidistant from his face. Sighing, he finally vocalize his opinion. "Can you two take this spat somewhere else? I have people to help," he complained as he pushed the popcorn towards them.

"Then take my credit card," she growled at him. The clerk sighed again before taking the model's card and swiping it, and handing it back to her.

Kaoru pouted in reply, picking up the popcorn and drinks before she could grab them. "Hikaru," he said, turning to his brother, "I'm going to go find our seats. Just meet us inside." Hikaru gave his acknowledgement before ordering.

Kaoru only took a few steps before turning back and looking at Missy. "Are you coming?" he asked, trying to bite back his annoyance at her refusal to let him pay.

"Oh, sorry," she replied as she grabbed some straws for their drinks. "I was getting straws." Missy reached forward and grabbed the drinks from him. "Let me carry these."

As she snatched the drinks from his arm, he shot her an appraising look. "I get it now."

"What?" she asked as they continued to walk towards their designated theater.

After pulling the door open for her, she uttered a quiet thank you in reply.

The slightest smirk adorned his face. "You're independent," he said slowly as he scanned the rows for the numbers on their tickets. "It's that one," he pointed to the row just behind the railing.

"I am," Missy stated unapologetically as she made her way towards their seats. Upon arrival, she frowned slightly before a knowing look crossed her face. "I see why you wanted me to come here with you."

"Is it that obvious?" Kaoru asked with a grin.

The seats were, as many new or refurbished theaters were, made to accommodate two people on a sort of couch with cup holders. There was an armrest in the middle to allow for separation of space, but the two seats were linked together.

"It is now," she laughed slightly as she sat down in the seat farthest to the right. "If I hadn't come, either Hikaru would have sat with you, effectively ruining your plan to have him sit with Haruhi, or," she added mischievously as she placed her diet coke in its designated holder, "you would have had to sit alone, and neither of those things are very fun."

Kaoru ran a hand through his hair and laughed, setting his popcorn down and immediately reclining in his seat, spreading out his long legs. "Nothing gets past you, does it?"

Missy only winked in reply as she tossed a piece of kettle corn in her mouth.

"I bet you can't catch in your mouth if you throw it in the air," he challenged her.

She raised an eyebrow in response. "What are the stakes?"

"If you miss on the first try, you have to request Hikaru and I every day this week at club."

"You're just going to annoy the hell out of me, aren't you?" she said warily. His smile only broadened in response.

Missy smirked. "Fine, but if I win, you owe me a dog, of my choosing."

"Pinky promise?" he asked, sticking out his hand.

"Pinky promise."

The model looked down at her kettle corn confidently. "Okay, I'm gonna make this popcorn my bitch." Gingerly, she threw a piece in the air. It sailed maybe two feet above her head, straight up. She opened her mouth wide, just in time to see Kaoru grab the piece of kettle corn in his hand and pop it straight into his mouth.

"Hey, that's cheating!" she huffed indignantly.

"Ugh, this is disgusting. How can you eat this?" he coughed out before gulping coke from his cup. "And we never said I couldn't intercept it."

"It was _implied."_

"Implications are kind of risky, don't you think?"

Settling back into her seat, she resigned herself to her fate. "Fine, but I'm going to be the most annoying customer you've ever had," she warned.

"Good luck. Renge-chan requested us once. Never again," he said with a shiver.

Missy smiled, remembering the cheerful yet bossy girl in their class. After meeting her a few times at the club, and sharing a class with her, Missy could confidently say she understood why the twins didn't go along with her demands. "I get the feeling the Host Club was much wilder last year," she observed.

Leaning further back into his seat, Kaoru's voice dropped to a whisper as the previews started, as well as a warning to silence their cell phones. "You could say that. It was only the second year the club was around, and when Haruhi joined, it caused quite a stir. Even now, we're still adjusting because things never seem to stop changing."

"Yeah, but that's life, isn't it?" the model asked. "Oh, I see Hikaru and Haruhi!" she whispered back to him. She waved her hand up high to get their attention from the entrance to the theater.

After walking up the stairs, Hikaru and Haruhi greeted the two before taking the seats next to them. Hikaru, naturally, sat next to his brother.

After sitting down, Haruhi pulled a water bottle out from her purse. Both twins shot her a look. "You know you're not supposed to have outside stuff, right?"

Haruhi rolled her eyes in response. "Like I'm going to waste six hundred yen on a water bottle," she said before taking a sip from the bottle.

As Haruhi was speaking, a thought struck Missy and she immediately voiced it, leaning over Kaoru to be a little closer to the honor student. "Haruhi-chan, you live in an apartment, right?"

"Yeah, with my dad."

"And it's pretty close to Ouran, right?"

"It's not a very long walk, so I guess so."

Missy grinned widely, reaching over to silence her cell phone as another reminder projected on the large screen. "Any vacancies?"

"Missy-chan, no offense or anything, but wouldn't you rather live somewhere really nice?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with our house?" both twins protested, offended that she would rather live in a commoner dwelling than their elegant estate.

The two girls shushed both their friends, effectively silencing them with intent glares. "Not really. I'd rather live on my own than in someone else's house."

Haruhi looked thoughtfully at the girl sitting by Kaoru. She seemed determined to live on her own, and she was independent enough that she could probably do it. "I'll check with my landlord tomorrow, but I think one of my neighbors said she was moving out at the end of the month," she offered.

"Awww thanks, Haruhi-chan!" Missy said with a smile, quickly leaning back in her own seat as the lights began to dim, announcing the final trailers and the start of the movie.

Everyone settled in, popcorn/kettlecorn, within reach and plenty of room for them to sprawl in. After the first song, Kaoru leaned over to whisper to Missy, pulling the raisinettes from his pocket. "Raisinette?" he asked, moving the box towards her.

Missy glared at the box in reply. "I hate those things. Nasty little fruits masquerading as candy? Little deceiving bastards," she giggled before returning her attention to the movie.

Kaoru looked sheepishly at the box in his hand. He had seen her eyeing them, so he thought she wanted them. "Why'd you buy them, then?" he whispered.

"You said you wanted them," she whispered back.

"I saw you looking at them! I thought _you_ wanted them!"

She rolled her eyes. "I look at them in disdain. If I'm going to have chocolate, it's going to be good chocolate. Or chocolate covered almonds," she added.

And with that, they both turned their attention back to the film. To their left, Hikaru was having an internal battle, debating whether or not to grab Haruhi's hand, as it was sitting _right next to the popcorn,_ and did she want him to grab it, or was she just resting it there? No, he reasoned with himself. Haruhi was blunt and direct. She would have grabbed his hand if she wanted to hold it.

Partway through, Kaoru looked over to see Missy at the edge of her seat, mouthing along the words to the songs.

"How do you know the words? This movie just came out," he whispered at her.

"I've been listening to it since the soundtrack was released. Lin-manuel Miranda wrote this song!"

"Who?"

"Oh never mind. Americans love him, though," she said before taking a sip of her diet coke and going back to mouthing the words. By the next song, she had graduated from barely mouthing to softly singing along.

Kaoru had to stifle a laugh. It was too precious. She was like a little kid, sitting at the edge of her seat with her legs pulled up in her chair, kettle corn in her lap. Her eyes were wide in wonder as the animation colored the screen brightly and the music shifted to a language that neither of them knew. She wiggled along to the music, completely transfixed by the sound.

Yes, technically Kaoru had invited Missy to the movies so that Hikaru wouldn't feel obligated to sit with him. He wanted his brother to grow, and Haruhi was the best way to facilitate that.

But he was certainly glad that he chose to bring Missy along over anyone else.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, this is the longest chapter by far. Y'all said you wanted fluff, so there's some friendship type, possibly future romantic, fluff in here. You're welcome.**

 **Also glad to see the bitchy whining is the way to get you guys to review. Sorry about being so needy, but I appreciate the feedback immensely. I also usually wait at least two days between updates so that everyone has a chance to read the previous chapter. This one is a little early, so consider it a thank you for all the lovely reviews!  
**

 **Replies:**

 _ **Featherheart4248**_ **:** Thanks! OC stories are so hit and miss, but I'm glad you think mine is a hit!

 _ **Lucifer Dragonlordh**_ **:** I melted after reading your review. Seriously. So wonderful to hear what you're thinking and that you don't hate me for how slow this story feels sometimes.

 _ **Dawn725**_ **:** Hey! Keep up the great reviews! They inspire me to get my lazy ass in gear.

 _ **Bell Cooper:**_ Your wish is my command, dear one.

 **Guest:** You know my pain! Lately I've been trying to review on every chapter update because I'm beginning to understand how much it sucks to not get any responses. I need validation. Sue me! Hahaha, glad you like the story!

 _ **Nameless-dono:**_ Ugh the mushy feels. You gotta earn the mushy goodness that make you feel all soft and gooey inside! It's so much sweeter having waited for it.

 _Wendy imouto chan:_ Bless you for reviewing my dumb story again. Blessings upon your entire household. I saw that you said you were reading the Sound of Resonance and I _cringed._ I haven't updated that in forever, and I've almost deleted it twice, but I just don't have the heart to. What if I ever circle back to it? I don't even know, friend.

 _ **Kankananime123:**_ I love Hikaru. Seriously, what a great character. He's fun to write because he gets to be emotional all the time, but he's so dorky. I'm working on a later chapter right now that's just Hikaru and Kaoru being such nerds and omg I love it.

 **Guest:** Yeah, I was trying to slip in the fact that they're getting used to her. Like, they're so accustomed to her now that they don't even have to say her name to know who they're talking about. Also, they're basically on the same wavelength so . . .

I thought it was cute, too! Like, subtle influence that she already is. What a treasure, that Missy!

 _ **Reflectioncat**_ **:** Oh man, faster updates? I'm doing the best I can right now. A lot of the chapters I have completed are later chapters that wouldn't make sense. They're key moments that I'm having the story build to, does that make sense? It forces me to think ahead when I write like that. So I have a scene written that probably won't happen for at least three chapters, but I know that I have to build to that because I reaaallllyy want to post that chapter. Also, look at my older stories. I was an absolute garbage writer, and my update time is frequently shit. And yet, here we are. You're reading my story and you seem to enjoy it. I recommend getting a few chapters ahead before you post anything. That way, if something comes up, you're not scrambling to post on time. And, Kyoya is actually a softie. He'll be a key player later and he's helping Missy more than she knows.

 _ **SlytherinPerfect2014:**_ Awww thanks, dear. I'm trying, I'm really trying to write scenes with characters besides Kaoru and Missy (but Kaoru is my fav so I'm reluctant to).


	12. Chapter 12 - Spaceman

_The star maker says, "It's ain't so bad."_

 _The dream maker's gonna make you made_

 _The spaceman says, "Everybody look down_

 _It's all in your mind."_

* * *

Missy laid on the couch, knees curled up almost to her chest, as her gaze was riveted on the television in front of her. She was practically sinking into the comfort of the plush leather sofa, tucked away in a seldom used game room on the third floor. There was a blanket wrapped around her to keep her warm, as the weather was turning cold for December.

"What are you watching?" came two voices from behind the couch.

The model chucked a nearby pillow behind her, hoping that it hit at least one of them in the face. "Go away," she groaned at them. "Did you need help with your calculus or something?" she growled at Kaoru.

"Only if you need help with your with your Japanese History," he grinned at her. Earlier that day, Chairman Suoh had contacted her to let her know that Kaoru Hitachiin was to tutor her and help her in Japanese History until she was caught up. As it turns out, he had one of the highest grades in the class, second only to Haruhi, making him a perfect tutor for the model. In exchange, she helped him with his calculus.

"Oh, is it the Victoria's Secret Paris Fashion Show?" Hikaru asked, tossing the pillow back on her face as he took a seat on her right, next to her feet. "I'm glad we didn't have to go this year."

Missy bolted up as Kaoru sat down on her left, next to her head. "You've gone before?" she gasped, looking between the twins. Having never been to the show herself, she had always wanted to go.

Kaoru shrugged. "Yeah, our mom usually makes us go with her. But this year she went by herself."

They all turned their attention to the show, laughing as one model was encumbered by what looked to be a large shield on her back. It was a beautiful display, but like most runway outfits, it wasn't practical.

"This show becomes less fashion and more show every year," Hikaru grumbled as he settled into his seat.

"The wing effect works really well for all of them, though," Kaoru admitted as he observed the retreating forms of each model. "It adds to the 'angel' idea, I guess."

"And this looks like a pretty culturally diverse group of models, so there's that," Missy added as she watched the parade of girls continue.

Hikaru snorted as a one of the models strutted down the stage. "I'd have to walk like that too if they'd but all those ugly flowers on me."

"Hey, she's trying. Runway is hard!"

Kaoru fixed Missy a look. "Have you ever done runway?"

The model bit her lip. "Well . . . no. No, I haven't."

The twins shared a look, a mischievous smirk on their handsome faces. "We can fix that," they crooned.

"Please don't."

"Well you don't really have a choice. It's in the contract," they both pointed out. "You didn't think you could be a part of our industry for two years and think-"

"That you'd never have to do runway-"

"Did you?" Hikaru finished.

"Of course," Kaoru purred as he leaned in close to the brunette, "We'll be there to teach you, so there's no need to worry."

Missy crossed her arms over her chest. "I wasn't worried," she pouted defiantly. "I'm sure I'll be able to do runway fashion without a problem." She turned her attention back to the show, ignoring the knowing looks that occurred between the young Hitachiin teens. "Kimono wraps were a good call."

"Yeah," they both agreed, snuggling closer to their half Japanese pet.

That was something Missy didn't know if she'd get used to. Even though Hikaru seemed to only tolerate her, they were both surprisingly clingy, which she didn't really understand. She understood why they touched Haruhi so often. After all, she could tell them apart easily, and she was their friend. Not to mention that Hikaru obviously had a huge crush on their classmate. However, Missy was far from that level. She regarded the twins as classmates, maybe friends on a good day. They were so touchy and affectionate, a stark contrast from her formal English upbringing.

"Now _that_ is a walk," Missy whistled as she watched one of her favorite models strut down the stage. "She's so good."

"Oooh, sounds like somebody's got a crush," Kaoru teased.

"On her walk? Hell yes. I'd kill to be able to walk like that. She's like, my model crush. If I could walk like that, I'd have the world at it's knees," the brunette affirmed, her eyes still stuck on all the bright colors as they flashed by. "One day . . ."

Hikaru leaned in close to her. "One day, what?"

Missy looked at her classmate, her gaze flickering between Hikaru and the screen. "One day, I'll be up there like that. I'll be an angel."

"You want to be one of the angels?" Kaoru asked, amusement in his tone.

"Well, yeah," she admitted. "They all have some of the most amazing careers, and they get to travel. That sounds really cool.

"Of course, I would need to do FashionWeek and whatnot before that. Becoming an Angel doesn't happen overnight," she added quickly. "Right now, I'm all pictures, still life, and a few commercials. I have a long way to go before I'm anywhere near their caliber of modeling."

Kaoru gave her a thoughtful look as a pop artist took the stage to sing.

"Also, I'm a little short for runway," Missy added ruefully as the next set of flower covered angels traversed the stage.

"Did you see that look on her face, Kaoru?" Hikaru laughed as he pointed at one of the models. "They make the most priceless faces."

They settled into further silence as they continued to critique the models and their lingerie. "Ooh, I'd wear that," Missy added jovially, pointing towards a lace clad model.

Kaoru rolled his eyes. "I should have guessed you were a lace kind of girl."

" _Every_ girl is a lace kind of girl, Kaoru-kun. If she says she isn't, she's lying."

"Even Haruhi?" Hikaru asked skeptically.

Missy laughed. "Okay, maybe not Haruhi. Or maybe she is, but you'd have to ask her," she suggested with a wink towards the older twin, causing him to blush ever so slightly.

Kaoru growled as he listened to the music. "Why is this guy singing about being chunky? They're models. They don't have any fat on them!"

"Irony?" Missy offered with a giggle as she watched the PINK line premiere. "I love this line," she added. "I'm pretty sure I've bought at least half of it."

"What is he wearing?" Hikaru asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "And the models are all taller than him."

"He looks ridiculous," his brother agreed. "The coat looks like it's going to eat him."

The model shot them both an amused glance. "Not a Bruno Mars fan?"

The twins both blanched.

" _Those shoes,"_ Missy moaned as she pointed towards a pair of leather boots on one of the models. "I would kill for those."

"I'm pretty sure next year's fall line has a pair of boots like that, but I'm not sure . . ." Kaoru said. "I don't know, it's been awhile since I've looked at anything but Summer stuff."

"Oh, speaking of which," Hikaru interrupted, "You have fittings all next week. We need to be done with the Spring line before the end of this month so that it can launch the end of January."

Missy groaned. She hated fittings because it was just a bunch of standing and preening and getting poked with needles. Not to mention the hours wasted deciding on appropriate ensembles. "Fine," she grumbled as she thunked her head back down on the couch, her head right next to Kaoru's lap. "Now shut up, you're ruining my fashion show with thoughts of work," she whined.

Dozens of beautiful models continued to walk upon the stage, some of them proudly wearing wings on the backs, their smiles ranging from sultry to coy. While their walks would have been too dramatic and sexual for most runways, they were perfect for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. They matched the atmosphere of the event with every step they took down the lined walk way. Here, the personalities of the model's were valued. It wasn't just about the clothes, but the presentation and individuality that each woman gave it. It was less of a showing and more of a performance, and that was what made it so fun for the audience.

Hikaru gave a low whistle. "That looks like some complicated lingerie. I can't even imagine trying to get someone out of that," he said, gesturing to the long line of 'dark angels' on the catwalk.

"I don't think you need to worry about that too much, Hikaru," his brother teased him, causing Missy to smile at their antics. Even when they're working together, they still took the opportunity to poke where they could.

"Well that's not very nice," Hikaru pouted.

"Oh shut it," Missy chuckled as she pushed one of her feet against his ribs playfully. "Don't dish it if you can't take it."

"But you're right," she said thoughtfully after a moment of silence, their attention back on the show. "I can't imagine some poor guy trying to undo all those straps and ties fast enough for things to work out."

"I'm going to get drinks from downstairs," Hikaru said after a minute. "Kaoru?"

"Water."

Hikaru nodded before walking towards the door.

Missy bristled. "Hey, what about me? I would also like a water!" she hollered after him.

"I didn't ask you!" Hikaru shouted back at her as he shut the door with a grin.

After a moment of silence, Missy asked the question that had been on her mind. "Do you think he'll get me water?"

Kaoru grinned. "Knowing Hikaru, you have a fifty/fifty shot. Depends on how generous he's feeling."

"Hmm."

"You seem really into this fashion show. I didn't know you were that into your career."

She sighed as more models filled the stage, walking in time with the music. "It's . . . complicated," she admitted. "Sometimes I just want to stop and do something else and go to college and be normal. But other times, when I see stuff like this," she gestured towards the screen, "I want to be apart of that. All that beauty, all that hard work. Sometimes I think that I really want that."

"But?" he prodded.

"But, it's a lot to commit to. I don't know what I want yet. I shouldn't be surprised, I'm only seventeen. I have time to figure it out. It's a scary and cutthroat industry."

Kaoru looked down at the girl next to him. She hadn't moved from her spot since Hikaru had left. Her hair was splayed out behind her and the grey sweater she had on slid off one shoulder, exposing a bra strap, but she either didn't notice or didn't care. Her blue-eyed gaze was still fixed on the fashion show, even as it was ending, as though the models on the screen held all the answers for the unsure teenager next to him.

"When did you start modeling?" he asked, avoiding the temptation to reach out and touch the hair that was laying across his lap.

"About three years ago."

"Did you want to then?"

She bit her lip, a habit he was beginning to notice she did whenever she was debating on how to answer, or whether or not she should answer. "Yes, and no," Missy admitted as she rolled over to look up at him. "I was only fourteen at the time, and I was a little, umm, lost? A representative from Wilhemina Models contacted me, and at fourteen, it seemed really exciting to have a career. I had something to prove, and modeling could help me do it."

The redheaded teen had to admit that he was intrigued by her story, and he sensed that there was a lot she wasn't telling him. "What did you have to prove?" he asked, hoping that he didn't sound too nosy, simultaneously cursing himself because he knew he did. Normally, he didn't mind prying into people's affairs, especially when it involved the host club. But Missy didn't seem like the type to open up based purely on prompting.

She opened her mouth to respond before thinking better of it and closing it. "Sorry, friend, that's a story for another day," she said as she heard the door open. "Did you bring my water?" she shouted at Hikaru while moving to sit upright.

In reply, he tossed a bottle of fancy European water at her, barely giving her enough time to catch it, causing her to let out a small squeal as the bottle almost hit her face. Kaoru caught his bottle easily while Hikaru took his seat on the other side of their friend, both snickering at her shriek.

"You're not very coordinated, are you?" Hikaru asked as he pulled off some of her blanket to cover himself with.

"I-"

"Kind of ironic, since you're a model."

"Hey!" she whined. "Give me my blanket back!"

"Maybe if you ask nicely," they both purred at her.

With a groan she stood up. "You're both incorrigible," she muttered as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and stalked out of the room. "You had to ruin my fun watching the show, didn't you, ya little monsters," she accused over her shoulder.

"Where's she going?" Hikaru asked as he grabbed the remote from where Missy had left it on the floor.

"Probably to aggressively study history."

"We can only hope."

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, sorry I disappeared for like a week or so. I've been writing, but I rewrote this chapter twice because it just kept pissing me off, and then I skipped ahead and wrote a bunch of random stuff that I can't post for awhile. Anyway, next chapter will be a Christmas special chapter that I've been working on for weeks.**

 **Wendy:** Idk, I can't even remember where that story was supposed to go. But I'll look through my notes and see if I can find something for you!

 **Kankananime:** Well here's a little more bonding for you!

 **Reflectioncat:** I can only imagine how frustrating that would be. It's so hard to keep up with my writing because I'm always getting ahead of myself. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Lucifer Dragonlordh:** I'm glad you love it! Seriously, that means so much to me!

 **Dawn:** I fangirled the entire time Kaoru was doing her makeup. Seriously, I felt like I was doing a lowkey tutorial vid.

 **SlytherinPrefect:** The Moana soundtrack is sooooo good! I figure a character would really get into a movie with a character like Moana.

 **Sam:** A little bit of both, actually! I think Kaoru thinks Missy is a cool person and he likes to talk to her. Ya know, a girl that doesn't fangirl over him and a girl that gets what they do? Rare qualities to find. I don't think this story is going to be HikaHaru (I'm a TamaHaru fan, sorry!) but I'm thinking about writing a spin-off story focused on Hikaru.

 **AddictedTOSleep:** I'm glad you like her. She's a pain in my ass, but she can be pretty fun.

 **AnimeFlowerGirl:** Thanks for reading and Reviewing!

 **Guest:** Yeah, they saw Moana! I wanted to hint at it without just making it obvious. I don't plan on doing the scene from Kaoru's pov because I tend to write with a third person omniscient view with a few limited tendencies. Thanks for the criticism, I'll do my best to fix my grammar in the future!

 **Dei:** Kaoru is such a sweet sunshine baby and I adore him and I'm glad he has other fans out there. Seriously, he is so unappreciated by the fandom.

Lot's of Love,

-Wri


	13. Chapter 13 - Shot at the Night

**I'm sorry, I lied. After this chapter will be the Christmas special chapter. Also, I promise there won't be any Rogue One spoilers, so feel free to read without worry. Also, headcanon that the twins used a lot of their free time to read comic books. Other headcanon that they watched the Star Wars films and TV shows like we watch anime. Turns out, they are all nerdy shits.**

* * *

 _Give me a shot at the night_

 _Give me a moment, some kinda mysterious._

* * *

"Oh, come on Missy, I know you. You can give me more than that," Myles chided from where he stood.

As soon as the Russian photographer had returned from his sister's nuptials, they had quickly transitioned from frequent fittings and marking sessions, to the shoots that would produce the pictures necessary for an upcoming magazine interview.

The interview, given by a major publication from Tokyo, was about the changes the Hitachiin brand would face as they took their industry global. As such, it heavily featured the young twin designers, and their newest model and inspiration that would help them transition into the western market.

Having already done all her individual pictures, the young model had only to complete the shoot that also featured Hikaru and Kaoru.

Unfortunately, that was proving to be more difficult than she anticipated.

She should have expected that they wouldn't make it easy for her, considering their impish natures.

Whenever she stood next to them, they would make sure to secretly poke or pester her from wherever they stood, keeping their motions out of the view of Myles' camera.

They were currently seated on a stark white square table against a white backdrop, white flooring beneath them and a red carpet running perpendicular to the cube-like table. Her dress was form fitting and trailed a few inches onto the ground. The entire back was red lace, the same red as the rest of her dress and her lipstick. It was vibrant and bright against the clean surface of the set. Meanwhile, both Hitachiin's were dressed in identical black suits, cut perfectly to their athletic figures, and red button down shirts, open at the collar, to match her dress.

"The only way to make this look balanced is to put her in the middle," Myles said to one of the technicians, gesturing for Missy to move back to the center.

Missy gulped, knowing that it was the most dangerous place on the entire set, allowing for both twins to have easy access to the exposed skin of her waist and back.

"Come on, Missy-chan," Kaoru cooed from where he stood on her right.

"Yeah, we don't bite," Hikaru purred after her as both brothers wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back to the table.

"Unless you want us to," the younger twin offered with an impish smirk.

Myles tutted in response. "Too close, you two. This is professional. Think flirtatious, not seductive."

"We're sorry," they both apologized to the photographer who only glared in reply. He knew exactly what they were doing, but there was little he could do to stop them. After all, they were required for the image and photoshopping them in later would wreak havoc on his schedule and give him an awkward picture at best.

"Come on, Missy, look alive. Do I need to play music to get you to wake up?" he insisted, putting his camera down for a minute.

The model perked up at the offer. "Oh, please. Could you? You know how it always gets me out of my funk if you play something for a few minutes," she pleaded at the older man.

One of the blonde assistants at his side quickly spoke into her headset. "Can we get The Killers greatest hits album over the speakers?" she requested. She was, fortunately, a polyglot, allowing for her to communicate easily with Myles and the rest of the staff.

"What track?" came the reply from another technician.

"Just start at the beginning!" Missy chirped from where she stood.

"Galubchik," Myles stated affectionately from where he stood. "Let the red imply the flirting for you, ya? I need soft from you."

Missy hummed as she heard the music over the speakers. Renewed energy coursed through her veins and she smiled sweetly. "Of course, Myles. I am a professional," she purred, shooting a pointed look at both twins.

In a lot of ways, this shoot was easier for Missy. It was a smaller space with few changes required. It was also an incredibly short shoot, lasting only a couple of hours. Because of that, she wasn't fighting any other model for space or time with a makeup artist. The brunette had to admit that working with the Hitachiin brand was certainly better than having to bounce from label to label for each shoot.

"What's this song?" Hikaru asked.

Missy had hoped that they would understand by now that modeling was actually a serious profession, and not the place to carry on a conversation, so she ignored his question.

Hikaru poked her. "Hey. What's this song?"

"Somebody told me," she hissed through gritted teeth.

"I like it," both twins replied evenly, their attention flitting back to Myles in hopes of avoiding the Russian's wrath at the lack of their focus.

"Kaoru-kun," Missy warned through gritted teeth, making sure to keep her smile soft and playful, "move your hand out of my dress or I will do it for you."

"I'm just posing like I'm supposed to," he replied innocently, his hand still placed on her back through the open slit around her spine.

"Why did it have to be lace?" she groaned, using the sentence to transition to a soft pout.

Myles smiled from where he stood. "That's lovely, sweetheart," he called, continuing to take pictures rapidly.

"You said you liked lace," Hikaru muttered impishly, reminder her of the comment she had made during the fashion show.

"We're just trying to please you," Kaoru purred.

The photographer took a step closer to them, gesturing for one of the light designers to change cues. "Missy, sit up there and angle to your right. Kaoru, sit behind her on that side, Hikaru on the other, facing opposite directions. Lean right up against her, angle your face just barely towards me," he chattered, moving his hands to direct them.

Missy, ever the professional, did not whine about the fact they would only use this opportunity to torment her. Instead, she complied and hoped that the two could be serious long enough for them to get the shot the photographer wanted.

As they moved into their next poses, she was surprised to find that neither twin had done anything to her. In fact, their gazes were focused intently on the camera as they put their hands in their hair, mirror images of each other.

"Well, princess, are you pleased?" they both asked from where they sat, amber eyes open for the camera.

She didn't say anything in reply, instead allowing herself to focus on what she needed to do. She threw her shoulders back and arched her spine, bending one line across her stomach as she turned her head to her best side.

"Lovely," Myles called as his camera clicked away. He put it down and looked at them approvingly for a minute before calling, "Okay, that's a wrap!"

Missy cheered and slid off the table, landing right on the train of her dress. With a gasp, she began to tumble to the ground, only to have an arm grab her on either side of her. Startled, the twins pulled her back up to the table.

"Wow, you're even more clumsy than I thought," Hikaru snorted as he let go of her arm.

Kaoru nodded in agreement as he removed his arm from the other side, hopping off the fixture in the process. "You're almost as bad as Tono."

The brunette wrinkled her nose. "I'm nowhere near as clumsy as Tamaki-senpai. I have _never_ tripped on a banana peel."

"For now," they both teased as they turned away, headed for their dressing rooms to change out of their clothes so that they could go home.

Twenty minutes later, Missy heard a knock on her dressing room door. Throwing the used makeup wipe in her hand into the nearest trash bin, Missy beckoned for whomever was at her door to enter.

With a click of the handle, Hikaru and Kaoru pushed open her door, their coats over their shoulders as they appraised the girl in front of them. "No offense, but you look totally different without makeup."

Kaoru elbowed his brother in the ribs swiftly in an attempt to cut him off. Missy only snorted in reply. "That's kind of the point," she deadpanned, zipping up her makeup bag.

"Is that what you're wearing to the premiere?" the younger twin asked, a disapproving look on her jeans and band t-shirt.

She looked at them in bewilderment. "What premiere? I never heard anything about a premiere!" she said as she reached for her phone, flipping through her messages.

"You didn't think we would miss the premiere for Rogue One, did you?" Kaoru asked incredulously. He looked absolutely appalled at the thought of missing the newest edition to the Star Wars canon.

It was then that Missy noticed their matching Darth Vadar t-shirts.

Thinking quickly, the model shoved her phone into her bag. "What time does it start?"

"The showing is at eight," Hikaru told her. "So we need to leave now."

Missy gasped in reply. "No, we can't! I don't have my Storm trooper shirt! I can't go to a Star Wars premiere without the proper attire!"

With a grin, Kaoru pulled a white shirt from his messenger bag. He tossed the fabric at her lightly, which she caught in her hand. She unfurled it to find that it was _her_ storm trooper shirt, signed by Mark Hamill himself. It was a long white shirt that displayed the mask of a clone from Episode IV. Mark Hamill's signature was across the helmet. She had hoped to one day add the signatures of other cast members, but so far had been unsuccessful. "Where did you get this?" she asked, eyeing the fabric suspiciously, checking for any signs of the itching powder they had used on Tamaki her first week at Ouran.

"From your closet. You own a lot of t-shirts," both twins replied with an identical shrug.

"Now hurry and put it on so we can go," Kaoru whined, still standing in her doorway. She raised her eyebrows at both of them, making a shooing motion with her hand.

They stared at her blankly. Finally, she gave up. "Just get out!" she shouted as she pushed them back into the hallway, slamming the door behind them. Missy stripped her t-shirt off in record time, throwing the beloved signed tee over her slender frame. Digging into her makeup bag, she quickly put a tinted moisturizer on her dry skin and applied mascara to her long lashes. She didn't want to look completely homeless at the premiere. All the other nerds would make fun of her.

Shutting her dressing room door behind her, she was greeted by the twins cheshire like grins. "You know, I never would have imagined that you two would be into Star Wars," she commented as she threw her bag over her shoulder and started to french braid her hair.

"Let's just say Hikaru and I used to have a lot of free time when we were younger. So we needed to find ways to entertain ourselves, and that included exploring the comic book Universe." The three continued their path down the hallway until they reached the exit door, pushing it open to meet the frigid air of the night.

Missy suppressed a shiver as she tucked her arms around her body, tying off the end of her braid. "And by comic books, you mean . . . ?"

Hikaru flashed his brother a look. "I knew she was just going to make fun of us."

"I'm not making fun of you! I'm just trying to figure out if you mean Marvel and DC, or if we're strictly limited to the Star Wars 'no longer canon' universe," she supplied indignantly. "I don't have the right to make fun of someone for reading comic books, considering how many Green Arrow and Spiderman comics I have," she grinned at them, a smug look on their faces.

"There's no way-"

"That a model-"

"Likes comic books," Kaoru finished as they crossed towards where their driver was waiting for them. "According to popular culture, you shouldn't even be able to _read."_

"Maybe she likes the pictures," Hikaru suggested.

"I resent that," she replied as she opened the door for herself, ignoring the chauffeur that was moving from the other side of the vehicle.

"Kaoru?"

"Yeah?" the younger twin asked, turning his attention to his brother as the model slid into her seat in their waiting limo.

"Can we keep her?"

Kaoru laughed before following their pet into the car, a grin on his handsome features. They watched as she turned on her phone, flipping through her notifications with disinterest. The light lit up her face in the dark interior of the vehicle, but she didn't seem to notice how the attention of the two boys kept flickering back to that light source as they drove in silence. A worried look would cross her face sporadically, but it would disappear just as quickly.

After a few minutes, Missy looked up from her phone, having deleted all the annoying emails and marked the ones she would need to go over at a later time. "Are we picking up Haruhi-chan?"

"No, the boss said he would pick her up and meet us there," Hikaru supplied as he gazed out the window. Missy didn't miss the slightly bitter edge to his tone.

"And by 'us' you mean?"

"The whole club," Kaoru answered, as though that should have been obvious.

Missy grumbled as she leaned back into her seat, opening up her pinterest app to look at pictures of dogs.

"How come you only requested us twice this week?" Kaoru asked from his seat. "You lost the bet," he reminded her.

The brunette didn't look up from her phone. "You cheated, so I decided to compromise. Besides, I had already told Tamaki-senpai that I would request him on Monday. Do you think he would have let me go to a different host?" There was a smugness to her voice when she spoke. That, of course, had been her plan from the beginning. She knew once the senior saw her name on his designee list, he wouldn't relinquish her easily. The princely character was surprisingly possessive of his clientele.

"I didn't cheat."

"Whatever you say, Kaoru-kun."

Hikaru rolled his eyes at their antics. Missy was almost as stubborn as he was, and Kaoru was no match for that kind of willpower. All three of them knew that she wasn't conceding victory at that point, she was just subtly telling him to shut up because there was nothing he could do about it.

A few minutes later they found themselves outside their favorite theatre, the same one they had gone to a few weeks prior. There were crowds of people pushing towards the door, tickets in hand, dressed in their Star Wars paraphernalia. As they approached the entrance, they were stopped by an accurately sized yoda and Chewbacca.

The small yoda cheered as the twins approached, their model in tow. "Masu-chan! Masu-chan, you're here!"

Missy smiled as she reached the group, recognizing the University student in his costume. "Hani-senpai, I like your costume. But, you know that yoda isn't in this movie, right?"

The upperclassman's eyes watered. "H-He's not?" he questioned, his lips quivering. "But he's my favorite, Masu-chan. He's just like me!" he wailed at the girl.

"Mitskuni," said the wookie next to him, the voice distorted from the mask of the costume.

"Mori-senpai?"

"How can you breathe in that thing?" the twins questioned, touching the costume as if to check the quality. They quickly realized that it was going to be incredibly hot in that outfit and they wondered how long it would be until Mori removed the headpiece at least.

"Masu-chan!" Hani wailed as he jumped into the brunette's arms. Missy had to take a step back to catch him, narrowly avoiding falling herself.

Missy shushed him and set him back down. "Hani-senpai, how about we go inside and pick out some treats for the movie?" she suggested, praying that the concession stands wouldn't be long.

His entire countenance changed immediately as he grabbed the girl's hand and tugged her inside the theatre. "That's a great idea, Masu-chan!"

Kaoru and Hikaru observed the two before sighing and following their senior into the theatre, handing their tickets over to the harried teen at the counter. Mori-senpai followed behind silently, his focus trained on his cousin who was in line at concessions.

"So do you think the boss is already in there with Kyoya-senpai and Haruhi?" Hikaru asked his brother. The two were looking around the lobby for their classmates, but couldn't find them in the hoard of people.

"Probably. You know how he is. Senpai probably wanted to make sure that he got to sit with his 'darling daughter' for the movie."

"Why didn't we just watch this at home, in our theatre?" Hikaru whined as the moved towards the concessions lines, a few people between them and their friends. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he sauntered forward, annoyance flickering on his face. They could hear Hani pointing at all the candy in the aisle, telling Missy that he wanted 'that one, that one, and those too!' in his exuberant voice. The model stood patiently beside him, her hand grasped tightly in his as she held the candy he had picked out. Kaoru watched the girl intently, surprised at her patience with the enthusiastic nature of their friend.

"So, Mori-senpai, what's your take on Missy-san?" Hikaru asked, pulling the younger twin from his thoughts.

The upperclassman looked over at the model. His gaze softened and a slight smile graced his lips. He liked watching her stand beside Mitskuni. She stood by him patiently, filling a role similar to his own, and he appreciated her compassion and affection for the sweets-loving lolita. "Hmm."

"Well put, Mori-senpai," Kaoru agreed with a short laugh, his attention back to the brunette and the short blonde.

After buying their snacks, they moved towards their designated theater, only ten minutes until the previews were set to start. Missy was still being dragged along by Hani, while the twins and Mori followed closely behind, snacks in hand.

Looking at their tickets, they found their designated row. In the last lounger, Haruhi sat next to Tamaki. She was dressed as princess Leia, complete with ridiculous cinnamon bun braids, while Tamaki sat next to her, chatting animatedly. He wore a leather vest over a white shirt, obviously cosplaying as Han Solo. Kyoya sat on his left, his attention on the tablet in his hands, seemingly unaware of the empty seat next to him. The rest of the club filed in, Mori and Hani taking the nearest empty lounger, Hikaru and Kaoru following behind.

Missy glared at the open seat next to Kyoya, silently willing one of the other hosts to move over so that she wouldn't have to sit next to the dark haired senior. Unfortunately, Hani was the only one to notice. "What's wrong, Masu-chan? There's an empty seat between me and Kyo-chan," he offered with a wide grin.

"That's what's wrong," she mumbled under her breath as she took the empty seat, angling her body as far away from Kyoya as possible, glad to have the armrest between them.

Kyoya took this opportunity to glance up for just a moment at her, his gaze quickly returning to his work. "Masumi-san, what a pleasure it is to see you here."

The model could barely contain her annoyance. Even now, he continued to taunt her by using her given name. He had no sense of loyalty or discretion when it came to others. She took a deep breath, trying to fight back the barrage of insults on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she turned her attention to Haruhi. "Haruhi-chan, I'm surprised to see you here. I didn't know you were a Star Wars fan," she offered brightly.

"I'm not."

"Oh, well then why are you dressed as-"

"So that she can match her dearest father!" Tamaki interrupted, batting his eyes at Haruhi in the process. "And doesn't my little girl look just adorable as the space princess?"

Missy had to grin at that. "So how did you end up dressed as Leia?"

Haruhi flushed at the memory of what she had found on her doorstep when she had gotten home. "The twins' damn maids were waiting for me. They forced me into this," the honor student growled.

"We tried to put her in the slave Leia outfit-" Kaoru interrupted, an innocent smile on his face.

"You know, the metal bikini-" Hikaru continued.

"But the boss just wouldn't go for it."

Tamaki cried out indignantly, fire in his eyes as he turned towards the twins. "That's because my precious little girl should not be dressed like that in front of you shady twins!" he wailed. The twins only grinned in reply, enjoying getting a rise out of the senior. They snickered in their seats as the lights in the theater began to flicker.

"Tamaki, if you are quite done making a scene, the movie is about to start, so would you please shut up?" Kyoya said, steel in his voice.

Missy raised her eyebrows in shock as Tamaki whimpered in his seat. "But mommy . . ."

"No."

"Wow, Kyoya-senpai. I didn't think you would care about these movies at all," Haruhi commented from her seat, ignoring the blonde as he tried to crawl into her lap to hide.

Kyoya pushed his glasses further up on his nose before replying. "I don't. While the original trilogy holds a somewhat nostalgic value to me, I could care less about the expanded universe."

"That explains why you're not dressed up," Missy observed acidly. "Fun-killer."

Kyoya opened his mouth to reply, but the lights chose that moment to shut off and the senior quieted immediately, his focus turned to his screen after turning off his tablet with a sigh.

For the next two and a half hours, the entire host club (plus Missy) found themselves watching in silence as the tale was unfolded before them. They laughed and cheered with the rest of the audience, and cried when the moment was right.

As the closing credits began to appear alongside the much loved theme, the lights turned back on in the theatre and everyone (Kyoya included) relinquished a sigh of contentment at the obvious feat of filmmaking.

Standing up from her seat, Missy grabbed Haruhi by the wrist and dragged her classmate with her, muttering to the other hosts that they needed to use the bathroom.

"Missy-chan, why did you bring me here? I don't need to go to the bathroom," Haruhi asked, completely vexed with the model's actions.

"I don't need you, per se," she called from her bathroom stall. "But I didn't want to go alone."

"Fine," Haruhi conceded, waiting patiently by the hand dryers.

Upon exiting the bathroom, Missy's arm was grabbed by a hand. She looked up in shock, ready to unleash a torrent of abuse, before realizing that it was Kyoya's hand. "What?" she hissed at him, shaking out of his grip.

Kyoya turned towards the rest of the club and flashed them a pleasant smile. "Please, continue on without us. We'll rejoin you in a moment, I just need to go over something with Masumi-san," he promise.

Hikaru and Kaoru shared a look before nodding as they grabbed Haruhi by the arms, dragging her with them as they walked towards the exit, Tamaki chasing after them, demanding that they release his daughter. They, being the mischievous devils they were, only stuck out their tongues in reply.

"What do you want, Kyoya-senpai?" Missy asked, her blue eyes sending him a withering stare.

The senior looked unperturbed by her actions as he glared back at her. "It may surprise you to know this, but I _am_ looking out for you."

She couldn't help but laugh in reply at this. Really? He was helping her? How? By sharing her identity? Anonymity and a disconnection from her past was the only thing that could keep her safe. "Really? Enlighten me," she challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kyoya exhaled, obviously annoyed at her lack of trust. "Consider this, Masumi-san. You're going to be here for at least the next two years, per your contract. You can no longer afford to bounce around and live the free-spirited life you once did."

"Free-spirited?" she scoffed at him.

He continued on, unruffled by her interruption. "The fact is, if you want to make friends, _real friends,_ then you have to start being yourself. And that includes, not hiding your past from the people you choose to share your time with. If you continue to act like your past doesn't exist, you will _never_ be able to truly trust these people. And as someone who knows these fools, there is nobody I would rather trust my life with," he finished before quickly turning around and stalking off towards the exit.

Missy took a shaky breath, leaning against the wall for support. What he said had bothered her, because a part of her knew he was right, as much as it pained her to admit. She couldn't expect these people to know and trust her if she wasn't honest with them about who she was. She slid down the wall, sinking into the ground as moviegoers passed her by, not sparing a glance her direction. Missy shielded her eyes, obviously rattled by what Kyoya had said.

She never imagined that Kyoya would be the one to suggest opening up to others, considering his naturally closed off nature. But, of the host club, he had known her the longest, memories stemming back from early childhood.

A stressful and dangerous childhood that she had to grow out of far too quickly.

"Missy-chan?" came a tentative voice from above her.

Uncrossing her arms, she looked up. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears and her face was flushed. "Kaoru-kun?" she asked, biting her lip, hoping that her guess was correct.

The boy nodded as he reached his hand out to help her up. She took it gratefully, mumbling a hasty thank you as she rubbed her eyes with her hand.

The young designer gave her a sympathetic look. "Senpai really did a number on you, didn't he?" he asked as he nudged her towards the exit, his hand on her back. It felt warm and comforting to her, so she didn't shrug him off like she normally would have.

"Yeah, something like that," she admitted as she pushed open the exit door, slipping outside into the dark night. She looked across the parking lot, noticing the limo waiting for them. "You came back for me?" she asked, surprised to find that the rest of the hosts were not in sight. He must have come back alone.

"I know how scary Kyoya-senpai can be sometimes. I figured might need a little help getting back after he said whatever he had to say," he admitted, pointing towards their waiting vehicle. "Hikaru's already inside."

"But, when it comes to Kyoya," he continued, "I trust him with my life. He's cold and manipulative, but he's also fiercely loyal. He's saved all of our asses plenty of times. There are few people I would rather have on my side."

Missy nodded as she shivered against the cold. She could see her breath, the warmth fogging up as it left her body in puffs of air. What he said made sense to her. Kyoya seemed cold hearted and closed off, but part of her wondered if that was just a facade. After all, it would take a lot to have the kind of implicit trust that the rest of the club seemed to have in him. She wondered if she was acting rashly in trying to fight the senior.

Shrugging out of his coat, Kaoru quickly placed it around her shoulders, much to her surprise. "Kaoru-kun-"

"Don't worry about it," he interrupted. "I'm fine."

Missy swallowed thickly, hating the fact that she appreciated his kind gesture. She also hated that his coat was warm and smelled like him. Like spicy peppermint. "Thank you," she offered shakily, pulling the coat tight against her body. It felt . . . comforting. And that frightened her just a little bit.

"You're welcome."

The chauffeur came around, opening Missy's door before she had the chance to do it herself, a grin on the older man's face. "Thank you," she told him. He tipped his hat at her, his smile widening as she slid inside the warm vehicle, Kaoru sliding in after her.

She didn't give his coat back to him for the rest of the night.

But of course, he never asked for it.

* * *

 **-Wri**


	14. Chapter 14 - Read My Mind

_The good old days, the honest man_

 _The restless heart, the Promised Land_

 _A subtle kiss that no one see_

 _A broken wrist and a big trapeze_

* * *

Missy hummed along to the music playing from her phone, her attention focused on the suitcase sitting open on her bed. She had been pulling articles from her closet for the past twenty minutes, folding them meticulously so that they would all fit within the confines of the leather case.

A knock on her door pulled her from her reverie, to which she beckoned for the person to enter.

Upon their entrance, her gaze met with calm amber eyes, perfectly coiffed red hair, and a grin that suggested the wearer was all too pleased with himself. He strolled towards where she stood in front of her bed lazily, a relaxed lull in his steps, his hands placed carefully behind his back.

"Kaoru-kun?" she asked, directing her attention to him as she placed another neatly folded t-shirt in her luggage.

"Yes?" he asked, pleased that she had guessed correctly on her first try.

It had become a subtle game, of sorts, between them for the last few weeks. Every time she saw him alone, she would greet him with his name in the form of a question. She was obviously trying to establish a baseline, a way to determine who was whom in their elaborate and never ending game of 'which one is Hikaru?' In it, she began asking a deeper question, one that he hadn't ever really heard before.

 _Which one is Kaoru?_

She had about a ninety percent accuracy, a number she should be proud of achieving considering the duration of her stay had only been a few months.

Missy smiled at him as she folded yet _another_ pair of sweatpants. "Just checking."

Maybe it would have surprised anyone else to find that he had not assumed his brother's identity in their conversations after their first meeting. Something about the way her dark blue eyes narrowed in his direction made him think that maybe he wanted to keep their conversations to himself. That, maybe, she was worth skipping past their usual deceptions.

Kaoru looked through the pile of clothes on her bed, his amber eyes narrowing in disgust at the contents. "Are you just packing t-shirts?" he asked incredulously, picking up the offending garments with the tips of his fingers on his left hand, his right still securely behind his back. "Won't you be cold?"

The brunette pulled the plain grey v-neck from his grasp, clutching the garment tightly to her chest to protect it. "For your information, it's warm in Texas. Even during Christmas."

"Texas?" he asked, his interest piqued. "Where the hell is that? Is that even a real place?"

Missy rolled her eyes as she stepped away from her bed and moved towards her closet. Kaoru had to turn to avoid having his back to her, something she considered to be oddly amusing. "Southern United States. Just north of Mexico. In fact, it shares the Rio Grande river border with Mexico," she replied, pulling her beloved nikes off one of the many shelves in her unnecessarily large walk-in closet.

"Is that where you're from?"

"No," she said as she walked back to her suitcase, placing the shoes at the bottom. "I was born in Exeter, England. However, that's where Josh and Marisol live."

Kaoru turned again, hoping that it wasn't painfully obvious that he was hiding something behind his back. His eyes lit up at the mention of a new name. He couldn't remember he mentioning a 'Marisol' before, so this was something new to discover about the frequently closed off model. "And Marisol is . . .?" he prompted.

"Josh's mom. She's the absolute nicest woman. The epitome of Southern Hospitality, which makes sense since she was born in Corpus Cristi. Her parents still live there since they like to be close to the beach. Marisol says their house there looks just like the one they had in Colombia, according to the pictures," Missy added, a serene smile on her face.

He watched her go through the emotions she was feeling with interest. Obviously she missed her brother and his mother. He wondered if the model would miss him and his brother while she was gone. "She sounds really interesting."

"She is. I owe her a lot. I was only thirteen when I met her. She has no blood relationship to me. Nothing to give her the impression that she owed me anything. But she took care of me until I started living with Josh. Which changed when I bought that house in L.A."

"That seems like a lot of different homes," Kaoru observed. He couldn't imagine it. Sure, his family owned dozens of vacation homes around the world, but he had always considered his _home_ to be the main estate, closest to Ouran and his friends.

She laughed ruefully as she folded a jersey hoodie, wrapping the hood around the folded fabric. "That's not even half of them."

Kaoru wondered if she owned anything besides athletic clothes at this point, noting that her suitcase currently contained only two pairs of denim and zero dresses or skirts. Of course, he knew she owned plenty of designer clothes, considering her profession, not to mention that she had the entire Hitachiin line at her disposal. It was remarkable to him that someone with so much fashion at their fingertips could stand to dress so blase on a daily basis.

"You know, you could get one of the maids to do that. Just a suggestion," he said as he sat down on her bed, right in front of her pile of clothes to be packed.

Hands on her hips, she stared at him. "You're in my way."

"That's the point."

Missy's stern expression turned curious at his statement. "Why would you want to be in my way?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes, moving his hands from behind his back to his lap. "So I can have your undivided attention when I give you this," Kaoru stated smugly, handing her a piece of paper.

Hesitantly, she took it from his hands, her focus shifting to the picture on it.

"Merry Christmas!" he said happily as he let go of the picture. "Technically, it's from Hikaru and I, but it was my idea."

He expected her to be jumping up and down with excitement, or at very least, smiling. Instead, her brow furrowed in confusion. Finally, she look up, her blue eyes meeting his own gaze. "A picture of a dog?"

"It's yours."

"The picture?"

"No," he scoffed, taking the paper from her hands and pointing at dramatically. "The dog! And here I was, thinking you were so smart all this time . . ." he teased her, his amber eyes glinting with mirth.

"You- you got me a dog?" she whispered, her eyes wide with shock.

Kaoru suddenly felt his entire body stiffen. He had assumed that she would really like the gift, considering she had made that the terms of their bet a few weeks prior. He had spent hours researching pedigrees before deciding that she would want a rescue dog over some pampered certificate holding showdog. He swallowed thickly, suddenly at a loss for words. "I-I did. I, um, I thought you would like it," he replied quietly, the excitement in his eyes disappearing as he looked down into his lap, the picture of what he had thought was the perfect gift practically slipping from his hand.

Before he had time to process what was happening, he was enveloped by the warm fluff of a maroon hoodie and soft strands of dark hair. He had to throw one arm behind him in surprise to keep from being knocked over entirely. The smell of vanilla and coffee beans and coconut hung in the air around him and it took the young Hitachiin entirely too long to figure out that the smell and the blur of red was _her._

" _Thank you,"_ she whispered into his shoulder, her thin arms tightening around him. He allowed the arm the wasn't supporting his weight to circle around her waist, holding her closely to him, _for just a moment,_ he assured himself. _Just a moment._

He felt something press against his cheek and his body tensed.

She had _kissed him._

Lightly, feather-soft, a show of simple gratitude and appreciation. But the simplicity of the kiss struck him and he found himself smiling even wider at her bold actions.

After a few seconds, she extricated herself from the embrace, sitting back on the plush comforter, and all too soon the soothing presence she offered was too far away from him.

And thus, Kaoru was awarded one of her world-shattering smiles. The kind that lit up her whole face and made the corner of her eyes crinkle. He couldn't help but smile back at her. Quickly, she pried the paper from his hand, slightly crumpled from when she had launched herself at him only a minute prior. Her eyes roved over the image, while her face lit up with joy. "You can pick him up when you get back from America. He'll be old enough to leave the shelter by then."

Missy looked up at him, blue eyes wide again as she gripped the edge of the paper. "Him?"

Kaoru nodded. "A Samoyed husky mix. They rescued his litter from an unlicensed breeding facility outside of Kyoto, and they're trying to find homes for all of them. His eyes are the same blue as yours," he said, pointing towards the eyes of the puppy on the picture.

"How did you know I wanted a dog like this?"

He looked at her sheepishly and scratched his neck. "I may or may not have stalked your pinterest page . . ." he admitted.

She grinned at him again. "Thank you, Kaoru-kun. I mean it. Thank you. This has got to be the fluffiest dog I have ever seen," Missy giggled out as she folded the picture and put it in her suitcase. "I actually have something for you and your brother, but I don't think it compares to such a fluffy little monster."

"Naturally, I am the best gift giver," Kaoru said with a wink, leaning against the obtrusive pile of clothes. "We'll just have to start a penalty game."

Missy only laughed as she stood up and moved to her dresser, opening the top drawer and pulling a wrapped package from inside. She handed the carefully wrapped object, tied neatly with a green bow, to the younger twin. Quickly, he shredded the wrapping paper, removing the bow and setting it beside him. He held the object in his hands with delight and fascination. "A CD? Isn't that a little cliche?" he joked.

"That is a _very_ important CD, I'll have you know," she growled at him, wrinkling her nose while her eyes danced with amusement. "Do you remember the shoot we did the other day? And you and Hikaru-kun commented that you liked the song?" He nodded in reply, understanding dawning on his face as he turned the object over in his hand. "That's the CD we were listening to. The Killers' 'Greatest Hits' album. One of my favorite albums of all time, actually," she added with a soft look at the case in his hands.

"And I also hope that it will be the beginning of a new understanding between us. I don't know a lot of local music, and your knowledge of western music ends at Taylor Swift."

"And Beyonce," he interrupted. "Everyone knows Queen Bey."

"And Beyonce," she giggled at him. "I figure, I'll share the greats with you, you share the greats with me. And then we're all a little better off."

"I think I like that idea," he murmured.

"Good," she agreed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to use the restroom. Please don't repack my suitcase in my absence, or I will wreck you," Missy warned as she headed towards her private bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Kaoru grinned as he moved towards her closet. "That sounds like an invitation to me," he joked as he pulled a red cocktail dress, two pairs of heels, and two skirts from her closet, folding them quickly on the bottom of her case. Hopefully, the model wouldn't notice the changes in her packed wardrobe until after she arrived in America.

With the click of a shutting door, Kaoru was forced to move back into his previous position as quickly as possible, an innocent expression on his face.

"I hope you didn't try to hide anything in there," Missy said as she moved back to her suitcase, searching for another pair of leggings.

He grinned in reply. "You know I would never do such a thing."

"Uh-huh, sure."

"So why The Killers?" he asked suddenly, hoping to distract her from her probing and keep her from searching the contents of her suitcase.

Missy stopped folding the leggings she held, choosing to lay them down flat on her bed. "That was the first band Josh and I ever saw live together. The first concert of a long list of venues that we've been to. That's what started it all," she said softly, running a hand through the thick waves on her head. "Whenever he was deployed, I would listen to one of their albums and remember how much fun we had that night."

"You two are really close," Kaoru observed, his eyes trained on the girl in front of him.

"We are," the brunette agreed, resuming the packing.

Josh had been her best friend since she found her way to his mother's kitchen all those years ago. He was the only person she had found it in her to trust for a long time, and even as her circle expanded, he remained the closest to her. But even as her trust widened, she was still closed off to many, allowing her walls to stay up, no matter who was looking to bring them down.

Maybe it was time to consider building some kind of access gate.

* * *

 **A/N: Merry Christmas, my loves! Here's the beloved Christmas special. It's been done for a while, but I had to wait on posting it. Also, thank you so much for loving this story. After posting the last chapter, I realized that this is my longest story yet, and my most followed (though not most reviewed, hint hint). Thanks for making this so special guys!**

 **-Wri**


	15. Chapter 15 - Deadlines and Commitments 1

_This offer would be standing_

 _All you've got to do is call_

 _Don't be afraid to knock on the door._

* * *

After successfully throwing herself into the arms of her half-brother and his mother at the airport, Missy found herself seated around Marisol's kitchen table for Christmas Eve dinner. It was the first year that all three had been able to be together on the holiday since she was fifteen, and she was enjoying every minute of it.

Marisol had spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen, shoving both Josh and Missy out of the room at every opportunity, insisting that they would only ruin the dinner she was preparing. Josh, of course, took every opportunity to steal bits of dessert as soon as she pulled it out of the oven.

"Alright, scamp, tell me how you're holding up out there."

Missy looked up from the article on training samoyeds she was reading on her phone. As soon as she had arrived, Marisol had stuck her in a red Christmas sweater with a large decorated pine tree on the front. She pulled the long sleeves up to her elbows as she placed her phone on the table. "I'm doing well in school. I have a tutor for history, but other than that, practically perfect."

Josh nodded, taking a sip from Marisol's 'world famous' hot chocolate. "Those twins still bothering you?" he eyed her suspiciously, looking for any sort of response from the model.

"Kaoru and Hikaru? Come on, Josh. You know I can handle a couple of boys," she dismissed with a wave of her hand.

"True enough. But I think the real issue is, can they handle you, scamp?" the marine laughed, his warm blue eyes dancing with mirth. Just like his younger sister, his appearance was devastatingly attractive. He was tall, with olive toned skin and thick black hair. His eyes were a dark stormy blue, the same shade as his father's. A perfect combination of English and Colombian features.

Missy grinned widely. "They never can." She wiggled her eyebrows for dramatic effect, reaching for Josh's abandoned hot chocolate. Unfortunately for the model, the S.E.A.L.'s reflexes were as sharp as ever and he immediately slapped her hand with a growl, causing his sister to pull her hand back with a shriek.

"Meanie," she whined, holding her injured hand.

Josh raised his eyebrow and took a gleeful sip from his hot chocolate. "You were the one trying to steal _my_ hot chocolate."

Naturally, the only option she had left was to stick her tongue out at him.

"Are you two done acting like children over there?" Marisol called cheerfully from her place in front of the oven.

"No!" the siblings replied in unison, a smile on their faces. It had been far too long since they had all been together, and they would get to spend the entire week in each other's company. Josh wasn't due back to his base in California for another two weeks, and Missy's flight didn't leave for Japan until the following Sunday. Meanwhile, Marisol had taken it upon herself to take off the entire week between Christmas and New Year's to enjoy the company of her son and adopted daughter.

Marisol shooed Josh and Missy into the living room, fixing them both with a glare as she wrung her hands in her apron.

As they settled on the couch, the marine exhaled slowly and put his elbows on his knees. He turned to his sister, his expression turning serious. "Did you get a call from Dad?"

The model looked down. "Yeah."

"Did you answer it?"

She frowned at him in reply. "No."

Josh groaned. "Come on, you have to at least listen to him."

"No, I really don't. I'm not interested in his version of 'parenting.'"

He sighed, having had this conversation many times with his younger sister. It was exhausting, but he had no intention on giving up. "He asked about you."

"Oh, so now you guys talk? Weekly chat on how I'm doing?" Missy snapped at him, leaning back against the arm of the couch. She curled her body up defensively, her entire frame tense and agitated.

"Come on, Mis, you know what I mean. He's still your father."

She grimaced. "So what'd you tell him?"

Josh shrugged, glad to see she had toned down the venom slightly. "That you were doing well and on track to graduate."

"I'll bet he liked that," she snorted.

He grinned wryly. "He did."

"Does he know about the modeling?" Missy asked curiously. William Preston had never been one for fashion, but she wondered if word had ever gotten to him about his daughter's activities.

"No, he doesn't know. Cousin Harry does though," Josh added with a grin.

"How did he find out? He doesn't pay attention to fashion."

"You know William's wife, Catherine, right?"

Missy rolled her eyes. "I didn't go to the wedding, but I met her at one of the dinners. She's nice."

Her brother laughed, glad to see some of the tension leave his sister's body. Though her relationship with her father could be described as estranged, she \was still on good terms with their cousins on their father's side. "Catherine is really into fashion. Will and Harry sent you a Christmas gift. Mom put it under the tree," Josh said, pointing towards their large, overly decorated, tree.

The teen squealed as she vaulted off the couch, almost tripping over the coffee table, and fell to her knees in front of the tree. "They always give the _best_ gifts!"

"Put that down, you can't open anything, except Mom's Christmas Eve present, until tomorrow."

"Fight me."

"Okay, but temember that you asked for it!" Josh grinned as he jumped over the table. Missy shrieked and tried to roll out of the way, but he was too fast. He quickly tackled her to the ground, her stomach pinned to the floor. He had at least sixty pounds of muscle on her so he chose to simply lay on top of her.

"Josh," she whined, her voice muffled against the carpet. "Get off!"

"No."

"Jooooosh. Get your fat butt off of me."

"Josh!" Marisol's no-nonsense tone rang from the kitchen. "Get off your sister and come help me set the table!"

The marine pouted. "Mom-"

" _Josh."_

He may have been a combat trained operative, but he knew better than to go against his mother. The woman was lethal with a ladle. Agonizingly slowly, he stood up and headed over to the kitchen to set the table.

It wasn't a particularly large table, but their family was small so it hardly mattered. Marisol had put a bright red tablecloth on it, as well as poinsettias in the center. The woman lived to celebrate Christmas. Recently, it had just been Marisol and Missy, so they were happy to have Josh with them for the holiday.

As everyone dug into the large quantities of food, Missy found herself the object of the conversation. After all, Josh's life was mostly classified and Marisol was far more interested in her teenage daughter than her own life.

"So, Missy, tell me about this school," Marisol requested as she took a sip from her wine. Missy had thought about pouring some for herself, but one glance at her brother had her reaching for sparkling cider.

The model swallowed the salad she had been working on and put her fork down. "Ouran Academy? It's one of the best schools in Japan. Academically speaking, it's unprecedented."

"What about socially?" Josh asked pointedly, also taking a sip from his wine. The snob.

She had to think about that for a moment. "Well, it's mostly traditional," she admitted. "I have to wear a dress for the uniform, and I kid you not, _there are bloomers,"_ the model answered in disgust.

Marisol chuckled as she continued with her mashed potatoes. "And the students?"

Missy shrugged. "They're fine. They're nice enough, anyway. Conceited, but they're really friendly."

"And the boys?" Josh asked suggestively.

She shrugged in reply. "The same." He raised his eyebrows as if to suggest that she was lying. "Oh eat your bread roll," his sister challenged, to which he smugly took a large bite of his food. "They're nice, I'm making friends, but I just don't want to focus on dating and boyfriends right now. I have too much work to do," Missy insisted.

"Well that's good to know." Josh shared a knowing look with his mother who only smiled and continued to eat her dinner.

After dinner was over and the plates were cleared, the family gathered together to read from their bibles together. Every year, as was a family tradition, no matter where they were, they would read the second chapter of Luke, to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, for which the holiday was celebrated for.

While Missy considered her beliefs to be non-denominational, Marisol was raised in a strict catholic household. Josh had joined a methodist church some time after graduating high school, so while all three practiced different beliefs, they found that they were still able to enjoy and practice their religions together. It was gratifying to find something in common to celebrate instead of focusing on what they didn't agree on.

The very first Christmas Missy had spent with them, Marisol had insisted on bringing both children to mass, much to her dismay. However, the girl was able to find a lot of beauty in the service, even though it did not fit her own beliefs. After that, Marisol had never insisted on bringing any of her kids to mass, but they always knew they were welcome to join her. Some years they went, some years they did not. Nobody was forced or bullied into attendance, which was something that both Josh and Missy appreciated and respected about the older woman.

"Alright," Marisol said as she closed bible and placed it on the side table, "who is first?"

"ME!" both siblings shouted, racing for the tree and trying to trip each other up in the process. Their scuffle ended with both of them lying face down on the ground, their bodies stuck in uncomfortable positions as they imagined the bruises they would probably have in the morning. Marisol simply laughed. They had done this every year.

After searching under the tree for a moment, each kid came back to their mother was a gift in hand, both from Marisol.

They knew the tradition well enough and after a nod of encouragement from her, they tore through the wrapping paper to find a matching set of pajamas.

This year, she had opted for Star Wars onesies, hoods hanging over the back of them. Missy's face lit up as she opened her R2-D2 pajamas, immediately slipping inside. Meanwhile, Josh rumbled with laughter as he unfolded the matching C3-P0 onesie. "The best yet, mom," he cheered good-naturedly as he leaned forward to kiss his mother on the cheek. She preened from the attention before shooing them off to both change into their pajamas for pictures.

As soon as the two departed, Marisol headed back to the kitchen to start the milk for the hot chocolate and grab her phone to take pictures with.

"Admit it, my pajamas are better than yours."

"No way! Everyone knows R2 is the heart and soul of the industry!"

"He can't even talk!"

"He doesn't need words to communicate!" Missy defended against her brother, elbowing him playfully as they re-entered the living room to settle in for the pictures. They knew Marisol well enough to know that she _loved_ to document their visits. She usually sent the pictures to her parents to keep them updated on her children. Much to Missy's surprise, Marisol's parents really liked the model, despite not being related to them. They usually sent her a card on her birthday and gift every Christmas. They had better memories than her own grandparents.

Before Marisol could even direct them, both children lined up in front of the fireplace. Josh put his arm around his sister's shoulders while Missy put her arm around his waist. They smiled widely, both grinning in their new comfy pajamas. "Say cheese!" she directed.

"Cheese!"

Of course, the older woman insisted on taking multiple pictures, changing their poses as well as moving their location. She insisted that she wanted them to have options. After the seventh picture, Josh started to fidget. After fussing through the eighth, Marisol released them with a wave of her hand, leaving her children to race off towards the kitchen for their Christmas Eve hot chocolate. They spent the rest of the evening laughing and smiling, and teasing each other about anything they could think of. Missy almost spilled her hot chocolate on three separate occasions, all three of which were stopped by her half brother.

Before she went to bed, however, she made sure to shoot off texts to her new friends overseas.

 _Missy: Merry Christmas, everyone!_

Haruhi was the first to reply. _Haruhi: Merry Christmas, Missy-chan! I hope you're having fun with your family! Also, I spoke to the landlord and he says you can move in next month._

 _Missy: Awesome! Thanks for letting me know._

 _Tamaki: Oh, my darling girl! I was beside myself with worry since I had not heard from you in so long! Make sure to call me every day to let me know that you're safe._

She rolled her eyes, refusing to dignify Tamaki's text with a reply. Within her first month at Ouran, the senior had decided that she was to be another member of their family, despite not being part of the Host Club. He had insisted that since she was one of the only students that knew Haruhi's true identity, that she was the only real female influence she had. And he felt that her classmate desperately needed the companionship.

 _Hikaru: Merry Christmas. Be sure to bring back a cool present for me._

 _Missy: The CD not good enough for you?_

 _Hikaru: No, I like it. But I think you can do better than that._

 _Missy: Maybe if you're really lucky . . ._

She honestly had no idea what she would get Hikaru. Maybe she would find something cool and touristy over the next week, but nothing came to mind.

 _Mori: Yeah, Merry Christmas._

Missy knew that even if she sent a follow-up message, she probably wouldn't get a reply. Mori-senpai was careful with his words, a quality that was much appreciated at the Club.

 _Hani: Merry Christmas, Masu-chan! We all miss you so much! When you come back, do you want to come visit me and Takashi and have some cake with us? Usa-chan misses you, too, and Chika-chan and Toshi-chan said they never see you at the club because Tama-chan, Hika-chan, and Kao-chan take all your time. Please come visit us!_

 _Missy: I'd love to come see you! Tell Yasuchika-san and Satoshi-kun that I wish them a Merry Christmas too, I just forgot to get their numbers before I left._

 _Hani: I will!_

The model felt a little bad. Despite seeing the two younger hosts at the club every week, she had never bothered to sit with them. She knew they were pleasant, but somehow the twins, or Tamaki, and on occasion, Haruhi, managed to take all her time.

 _Kyoya: Merry Christmas, Masumi-san, to you and your family._

Missy took a deep breath before typing out a reply. Things were still shaky between the two students, but she felt a lot of gratitude for the senior. She didn't understand his actions, but Kyoya wasn't one to do something without a plan. So, she was going to have to do something she didn't relish; trust.

 _Missy: Thanks, Kyoya-senpai. To yours as well."_

Something left Missy feeling unsettled as she locked her phone, noting that there were no other messages. Kaoru hadn't responded to her text. Of course, he could have been busy, and she had no idea what time it was over there. Stifling another yawn and sliding under the covers of the bed in the guest bedroom, she silenced her phone and rolled over, sleep claiming her instantly.

* * *

The worst thing about being a marine was becoming accustomed to bizarre sleep patterns, and always waking up early. Josh couldn't remember the last time he had slept more than six consecutive hours, so when he woke up the next morning he was surprised to hear music coming from the kitchen.

With a wide grin on his face, he crept through the house silently, hoping to catch whoever was there unawares. Both Marisol and Missy had a tendency to sing while doing things, so it wouldn't have surprised him to see either of them in the kitchen.

Turning the corner, he crouched down low to avoid being seen. With a quick glance over the counter, he quickly covered his mouth so as not to blow his cover by laughing.

 _Near, far, wherever you are_

 _I believe that the heart will go on_

 _Once more you open the door_

 _And you're here in my heart_

 _And my heart will go on and on_

Missy was facing the granite covered island, pouring flour into a mixing bowl while belting along to the _Titanic_ theme, completely unaware of her brother's presence.

Quickly, he grabbed her phone that was near the edge of the counter. If there was an opportunity to take embarrassing videos of his sister, singing along loudly while wear Star Wars pajamas, making the _only thing she knew how to make,_ he would definitely take advantage, and make sure to send it to every boy in her contact list.

The first thing that caught his attention was an unopened message, sent earlier that morning. Since Missy didn't lock her phone (because she was lazy as hell), he was able to open it immediately. Yes, he was a nosy brother and reading her messages was a violation of her privacy, but she could be messaging some creepy guy! She was too trusting, and he _had_ to protect his baby sister.

Fortunately, although the message was written in kanji, it had a translation option, which Josh made sure to press quickly, his gaze flickering between the phone and his sister. At any second, she could turn around and see him on the other side of the bar, going through her phone.

 _Missy: Merry Christmas, everyone!_

 _Kaoru: Merry Christmas, Missy-chan. When you come back, we can pick up your dog from the shelter. Any idea on what you want to name him?_

Josh cringed. Some guy bought his sister a dog for Christmas? _How dare he?_ Was he trying to win over his baby sister?

After the immediate indignation passed, however, Josh remembered hearing her mention the name "Kaoru" before. If his memory served him correctly, that was one of the sons of the designer she was contracted under.

Ah.

It seems he wouldn't be needing a weapon just yet.

Looking back up at his sister, he grinned to see her holding a mixing bowl in her arms, stirring vigorously with a whisk in hand. Her eyes were closed as she belted the next verse, serenading the pancake batter. Josh quickly jumped into action, setting up the camera to record, careful not to miss a single second.

" _You're here, there's nothing I fear! And I know that my heart will go on!"_ The model now faced her brother, but her eyes were still closed as she paced around the kitchen. " _We'll stay, forever this way. You are here in my heart-_ Josh!"

The marine looked up from the phone to see his sister fuming at him, the bowl clutched tightly to her frame. Her nostrils flared with anger as she realized that he had been recording her the entire time. The brunette's eyes blazed and she held the whisk in her hand like a sword.

He snickered before sending it to all of her recent contacts.

Throwing the bowl down, the model lunged across the counter to try to regain her stolen property and stop the embarrassing video from being sent, spilling pancake batter all over the kitchen in the process. Unfortunately, as she swiped the phone from her brother's hand, who was holding his sides from laughing so hard, she realized that she was too late.

The video had been sent to a third of her contacts. Anyone she had texted in the last week would be watching a video of her singing Celine Dion in her R2-D2 pajamas while making pancakes.

Missy huffed and glared at her brother.

"Oh come on, scamp, it was cute!"

"You sent it to tons of people!" she hissed at him.

He only smiled in reply. "Are you worried a boy will see it?" Josh teased.

She scoffed. "No."

"Yeah? So who is Kaoru?"

The model lunged at him again, and this time, she hit her mark.

* * *

After a morning of opening presents, everyone had retreated to their own rooms to sort through what they had received and plan out thank-you cards.

While Missy was confirming the dates for the concert tickets Josh had given her, Marisol opened her door a crack. "Missy, can I come in?"

The model smiled and patted a spot on her bed, gesturing for her to enter and sit with her. Shutting the door behind her, Marisol entered with a box in her arms.

"Why-?"

Marisol held up a hand. "Josh would have lost his mind if you would have opened this in front of him. It's better to keep this between us girls," she teased, her eyes glinting with mischief as she handed the teen the carefully wrapped box.

The two women sat on the bed across from each other, their feet crossed under their knees. Missy looked at the box with a puzzled expression. What could be in it that Josh wouldn't want to see?

The older woman took a deep breath, which forced Missy to wonder if there was a planned speech with this gift.

"Before you open this gift, we should have a little chat."

Red flags were going up. Secret gift, comfortable seating, secluded conversation, the words _little chat?_

Oh no.

 _Oh no._

Uh-uh. No.

Missy swallowed, preparing to face her impending doom. "What about?" she squeaked.

The older woman smiled gently. "Do you remember when you first came here, and we had that chat about your body changing?"

". . . yeah."

"Good! Well, here's the follow up on that conversation!" Marisol chirped. "This is the kind of conversation that I wish my mother would have had with me when I was your age, and the kind that I know your mother won't have with you." Missy started to squawk in protest, but Marisol only held up her hand, effectively silencing her. "I know that you consider me your mother, but Mei is your mother too, even if she doesn't act like it."

Missy could only fall silent, hoping that the blankets would swallow her up and the conversation would end.

"I know we don't share the same religious beliefs, so I'm not sharing this with you based on my beliefs, but as a concerned mother," she said carefully, removing the lid from the box.

Missy looked up, avoiding the box in its entirety.

"Now, sweet pea, sex is a _beautiful_ and _wonderful_ thing."

 _No no no no no no._

"And?" Missy asked tentatively.

"And I want you to be able to experience that kind of joy in your life."

"But?" Missy knew better. She knew that had to be a 'but' to that statement. No way was it going to end there.

Marisol paused, surprised at how well the conversation was going. When she had done this with Josh when he was a teenager, he hadn't made eye contact with her for the next week. "But, I want you to experience it with the right person, at the right time."

Well that was a little unexpected. "So, when I'm married?"

The Colombian woman shifted on the bed slightly, scooting closer to the obviously nervous teenager. "If that's the decision you make for yourself, then yes. However, what's more important is that you don't run before you can walk.

"There are going to be times in your life when you're going to want to move to the next step, maybe even skip a few steps, because it will _feel_ right in that moment. But if you jump ahead, you will regret it. We have these steps for a reason."

So, the traditional catholic woman was telling her to have sex? There was no way. No way in hell that was what was happening.

"I know what you're thinking, I can see on your face," Marisol said warmly. Yes, this was an uncomfortable conversation, but it needed to happen. "What I'm telling you is to take your time. Make sure you trust your partner, and explore the shore before you try to sail up the coast. Unplanned sex may sound exciting, but there are bound to be problems. A lot of people experience self esteem issues if they jump into the physical side of their relationship too soon. Not to mention that it can be harder to establish an emotional connection if your focus is on the physical."

"So," Missy interjected, "What you're telling me is to not rush things?" She desperately needed clarification at this point.

Marisol nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying. You may see your friends entering into sexual relationships, and you may even feel excluded for waiting, but trust me, it isn't worth it. Open communication with your partner is the most important thing. You need to _both_ be ready. And if you can't talk about it honestly with each other, then you're not ready for it. And if you have sex before you can really talk about it, you're following your emotions instead of listening to your heart."

"Okay, don't get caught up in the moment. Open communication. Got it," the uncomfortable reiterated, drawing her knees up to her chest. There was a blush coating her cheeks and probably creeping down her neck, but she knew the conversation was far from over. "But there's nothing to worry about right now. I'm not even seeing anyone right now . . ."

"Whether or not you're in a serious relationship now, you still need to hear this. You never know when your life can change. So . . ."

The model finally snuck a glance at the now open box. There was an array of-

She didn't.

Now Missy just wanted to die.

"Did you-"

Marisol grinned as she pulled objects out of the box. "I did!" In her hands was an arrangement of colored lace and silk, different patterns and designs on each item.

The teen groaned and shoved a pillow in her face. "You bought me _lingerie,"_ came her muffled voice through the pillow. "Why?!"

Playfully, Marisol threw a silk bralette at her. "It's so cute, Missy! And look at it, it practically screams you!" she laughed. "Plus, if you have the clothes for it, it's a lot easier to prepare for it."

Missy was about to retort that having her mother buy lingerie would never prepare her for sex when her phone vibrated next to her. Seizing the opportunity to distract herself from the awful conversation, she quickly opened the message.

To which, she was treated to a video of Hikaru, rummaging through his closet, wearing pajamas, and singing loudly. " _Baby, baby, I feel crazy. Up all night, all night and every day."_ There wasn't even any music playing, but Hikaru was wiggling to the imaginary soundtrack while he sang.

The camera started to shake and she could hear Kaoru laughing from the other side. Hikaru, hearing the laughter, quickly whipped around, and seeing his little brother, lunged for him. From there, the screen went dark, and Missy couldn't help but laugh.

A warm feeling filled her stomach as she considered what Kaoru had done. He had taken her embarrassing video and countered it with his brother to try to make her feel a little less ashamed of what her brother had sent. He was a good friend.

A _really_ good friend.

* * *

 **A/N: First things first, sorry this is so late. The holidays are a busy time for everyone, but I promise I have been writing a ton, just not on this chapter, lol.**

 **Second, I changed my name on here. My old name just didn't fit me anymore, ya know? It's actually what my tumblr url is, so feel free to follow me, if you want. It's just shitposting and my dumbass poetry, but maybe some of you are into that?**

 **Third, this chapter has a really important follow up that will be up in the next few days.**

 **And lastly, welcome to the new followers, and a special thanks to those who have kept up with this garbage story from the beginning.**

 **-Star**

 **P.S. Check out Wendy imouto chan's story. She's also doing a KaoruxOC story and it's really good, so give her love and support!**


	16. Chapter 16 - Deadlines and Commitments 2

_If you should fall upon hard times_

 _If you should lose your way_

 _There is a place_

 _Here in this house_

 _That you can stay._

* * *

 _It was a sweltering summer morning when a girl of thirteen appeared at the doorstep of Marisol Rodriguez. She was in the kitchen, brewing coffee, when a knock was heard on the door. The middle-aged woman wondered who could be at her doorstep so early in the morning, but her southern mannerisms kept her from even considering ignoring the hesitant knocks she had heard before._

 _Placing her mug down on the counter, Marisol left the kitchen and found her way to the front door. Looking through the peep-hole, she could see a teenage girl with dark brown hair and even darker circles under her eyes. She had a single suitcase and a backpack and her mouth was set in a firm line as she stared at the door._

 _Opening it wide, Marisol offered the girl a smile. "Are you lost? Can I help you?" she asked. Where were the girl's parents?_

 _When Marisol spoke, the girl's eyes lit up. "Is this the Preston residence?"_

 _Marisol immediately noticed the faint english accent and she almost shut the door. It had been too long since she had heard an accent like that. But no, this girl was only a child. "My name is Marisol Rodriguez. What's your name?" she asked._

" _Marisol? Hmmmm," the girl replied thoughtfully. "My name is Masumi Elizabeth Preston. Does Joshua William Preston live here?" she asked. "I'm looking for him." The speech sounded obviously rehearsed, as though the girl had spent hours practicing the entire introduction._

 _It must have been important to her. The older woman looked into the girl's eyes, surprised to find the same intense blue._

" _Sweetheart, why do you have a suitcase?"_

 _The girl stuck out her chin defiantly. "I'm looking for Joshua. Is he here?" she asked._

 _Marisol shook her head. "My son is at the Naval base right now. He won't be home for another few weeks. Why don't you come on inside? Have you had breakfast yet?"_

 _The girl, Masumi, seemed to hesitate at the doorway as Marisol stepped away, holding the door open, but after a growl from the girl's stomach, she took a step inside._

 _Shutting the door behind her, Marisol led the young girl to the kitchen. "I have some cereal, or I can make you eggs if you want," she offered, gesturing for Masumi to take a seat at the small wooden table that sat in the corner of the kitchen._

" _Eggs would be nice," Masumi said softly, seating herself at the small kitchen table._

" _Sunny side up or scrambled?"_

" _Can I have them over easy?" the girl asked hesitantly._

 _Marisol smiled and pulled a skillet out from a nearby cupboard. "Sure thing, sweet pea. That's how Josh likes his eggs, too."_

 _Cracking two eggs on the hot skillet, Marisol asked the question that had been burning in her mind. "So, Masumi Preston. Any relation to William Tudor Preston?"_

" _He's my father."_

 _Marisol flipped the eggs expertly, not letting a yolk break in the process, despite the stern look that crossed her face. "Your father?"_

" _Yes, ma'am."_

 _Sliding the eggs on to the plate, Marisol grabbed a fork from the drawer. "So what's a sweet little english girl like yourself doing all the way over here in Dallas, Texas?" she asked, placing the plate in front of the girl and handing her a fork._

 _Masumi looked down after taking the fork. "I wanted to meet Joshua," she mumbled, staring at her eggs as if they could tell the story for her._

 _Marisol sent her a concerned look. "Listen here, sweet pea, I get it if there are things you don't want to tell me. But there's not a lot I can do to help you if you don't tell me what you need. Okay? Now, eat your eggs." Marisol, her mothering instincts on overdrive, walked over to the fridge. "Orange Juice?" Masumi nodded in reply._

 _Crossing back to the table, the older woman placed a cup of juice on the table. "So, you're Josh's sister," she stated matter of factly, placing her elbows in front of her._

 _The young girl looked up in surprise. "How did you know?" she gasped._

 _Marisol chuckled. "Josh is my son. And you know very well that your father is his father, too. So what made you leave England?"_

" _You're right, it's pretty obvious."_

" _And you two have the exact same eyes. Same eyes as your father, too."_

" _Josh looks like me?" Masumi asked in surprise._

" _No, not really," Marisol laughed. "He takes after me and his Colombian heritage too much to look like you. And, you don't seem to take after your father, do you?"_

 _The young girl took another bite of her eggs, a look of disappointment in her eyes. "No, I look like my mother."_

" _So where is your mother?" Marisol asked gently, her brown eyes wide with concern. She could see that this young girl had come far, and alone, which surprised her. After all, William Preston certainly had the means to take care of any of his children._

 _A sad look crossed Masumi's face. "She's in Japan, with her new husband," she said quietly. She then shook her head as if she could shake off the thought itself. "But it's not like I could go back there anyway. It's not safe."_

" _So who do you live with?"_

" _Well . . ." Masumi bit her lip and clenched her fingers. Marisol only continued to look at her with a mothering expression, urging the young girl to speak. "My father sent me to a boarding school, a conservatory, in New York City. It's in Manhattan," she added, her eyes staring intently at the now empty plate of eggs._

 _Marisol only nodded in confirmation. "I see."_

 _The girl's right hand moved to her left arm, running her nails up and down the skin nervously. Masumi seemed unaware of the habit, but Marisol's trained eyes noticed immediately. She had seen that before._

" _I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She refused to meet the older woman's gaze._

 _The mother quickly deduced that this girl was to be pitied, and then loved. "Oh honey, whatever for?"_

 _She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry my dad left you for my mom. I'm sorry Joshua didn't get to grow up with a dad. I'm sorry . . ." Masumi trailed off, her shoulders shaking with the effort it took to hold back all the tears._

 _Marisol's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected such a young girl to be aware of what had happened before she was even born. "Sweet pea," the woman whispered, moving her chair over to envelop the girl in a tight hug. "That is not your fault, and it isn't your mother's either. William and I had our problems long before Mei was involved."_

 _Masumi sniffled and looked up. "You knew my mother?"_

 _The older woman smiled, brushing back a loose strand of hair from the girl's face. "Of course I did. I was there when they started working together. But, honey, none of your father's marriages are going to last until he learns to put other people before himself. I'm guessing you're here, instead of there, with him, because he hasn't figured that out yet."_

 _Masumi looked at the woman in awe. She wasn't angry, like the maids had said she would be. Marisol wasn't resentful or vindictive. She was . . . nice. Something the lonely girl hadn't experienced in awhile._

 _And as if a switch had been flipped, Marisol's entire expression lit up. "Now, let's see about what needs to be done. Would you like to stay here, with me?"_

 _The younger girl sucked in a breath. She had expected that Joshua, her half brother, would be there to meet her. Best case scenario, they meet, have lunch, and then she flies back to New York alone, to stay in the empty dorms until the beginning of next term. There were a handful of international students that resided in the school's dorms year round, but most of the continental students returned to their families during breaks. Masumi hadn't expected to meet Marisol, and she certainly hadn't expected her to be so welcoming._

" _For-for the day?"_

 _A smile graced the older woman's beautiful features. "For as long as you want to."_

 _Slowly, as if afraid that any sudden movement would make the offer vanish, the girl nodded._

 _Marisol grinned widely and stood up from her seat, happy to see the younger girl begin to trust her. "Wonderful. I have a guest bedroom just down the hallway. It's next to Josh's room, and it shares a bathroom with his."_

 _Masumi stood up and followed the other woman, taking her suitcase and backpack with her. After navigating her way down the hallway, she opened the door to find a small bedroom. It was simple and clean, but much more homey than the dorms of Manhattan. There was a queen sized bed covered in a white comforter. Across from the bed was a black dresser, a mirror hanging over it. There was also a desk in front of the window, and a small closet where she could store her things. "Thank you," she said softly, depositing her belongings on her bed._

" _You're welcome," Marisol replied, helping the girl open her suitcase and unpack. Masumi tried to stop her, but the woman simply waived her off. "Listen, sweet pea, I may be a petroleum engineer, I may be a strong Colombian woman, and I may even be able to bench press you, but first and foremost, I am a mother. And maybe I'm not your mother, but I'll be happy to substitute the role whenever I can because mothering is what I do, and what I do best."_

 _A slight sniffle could be heard, but almost any other traces of tears had vanished from the girl's face. Instead, she helped the other woman sort through her belongings carefully._

" _My parents, they don't really care about what happens to me."_

 _The statement shouldn't have surprised Marisol, considering how well she knew the girl's parents many years prior, but to hear them uttered in such earnest simplicity was heartbreaking. So, she remained silent to stem the flow of explicit words that were bubbling near the surface._

 _A moment later, the girl continued, taking the older woman's silence as an indication to proceed. "They divorced just after I was born. Dad opted to take me during school terms. At first I thought it was because he wanted to see me all the time, but after he shipped me off to the first available boarding school, I realized it was because he would have to see me less, but could still consider me his child. His family wouldn't ridicule him for it as long as he was providing my education."_

 _Marisol sighed, placing a neatly starched navy dress on a hanger. "And your mother?"_

" _She was interested," the girl admitted, "for a time. I would stay there on breaks, and she would introduce me to other kids, but it didn't take long for me to figure out that she was looking for connections, not a kid." Masumi shivered, trying to shake the bad thoughts off. "Anyway, I left when I was eleven, after some . . . stuff, happened. She got remarried, and she hasn't looked back since." The longer she spoke, the more vacant her eyes became._

" _Masumi, what kind of stuff?" Marisol prodded gently._

 _The girl looked at the older woman, but she just shook her head sadly. "I wasn't safe anymore. Mom did the best she could, but it was beyond her control. So, I've never gone back."_

" _Well, we don't have to talk about it yet if you don't want to. But I want you to know that I'm always here if you ever need anything."_

 _Masumi nodded. In time, she would tell her._

 _But for now, she was happy to have someone there._

* * *

 **A/N: Short but important chapter!**

 **Okay I'm obviously way too invested in this story because I saw the follower count go down to 159 and I cried. Lol, not really, but I did wonder what I did to make them no longer interested in the story. Thanks for the reviews and the love!**

 **-star**


	17. Chapter 17 - Somebody Told Me

_I'm breaking my back just to know your name_

 _But heaven ain'st close in a place like this_

 _Anything goes but don't blink, you might miss_

* * *

"Come on, guys, it's not that big of a deal!" Haruhi insisted, her arms stiff against the side of her body.

Kaoru and Hikaru cooed as they nuzzled against the top of her head and her cheeks. "Yes it is, you little mutt."

The honor student sighed as she tried to blatantly annoy the way the twins were draped over her small form. "So I need a refresher course on how to waltz. Big deal. I only had to do it once before, so I'm not really surprised that I need to practice again."

Kyoya took this moment as the perfect time to begin the playlist of classical waltzes to practice to.

"Excuse me," Missy interrupted from where she was seated by the windows. "But the club is closed today, so why am I here?" The model had shown up at the door after class was over, surprised to find a sign on the door, stating that the club would be closed for the day. As she had turned to leave, the twins opened the door, grabbed the girl by her shoulders, and dragged her inside the room.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hikaru asked, still pressed up against Haruhi.

"You're going to stand in as Haruhi's partner!" Kaoru continued, mirroring his brother's movements.

From across the room, Tamaki seethed. "You two, stop touching your sister like that! Get off of her!" he shrieked. "Not to mention, Missy can't teach Haruhi when she herself doesn't know how to waltz."

"Oh, you're right boss."

"We hadn't thought of that," the twins replied, exchanging a look.

"That's right, boys," Tamaki replied suavely. Missy tried to interrupt at this point, but the three paid her no attention. "So, this time, I'll stand in as my Haruhi's partner." The senior quickly pulled Haruhi from the twins' grasp, shoving them aside in the process and pulling the girl close to him.

"But Tama-chan, you're too tall to be a woman," Hani stated in confusion. He was seated next to Missy, happily munching on some cake.

Tamaki, of course, ignored this and proceeded to twirl the junior around the room. Haruhi tripped over his feet in the process, glaring at Tamaki the whole time. "Senpai-"

"Haruhi, look at how cute we are. Me and my little girl!" the teen cheered as he ignored the pain in his toes. It didn't matter how many times she tripped over his feet, he was happy to let her if it meant that she would be next to him for a little while longer.

Ignoring the discomfort, Haruhi tried to follow along. Yes, she was dancing the girl's part, but it still counted as practice, right? Once she saw the way Tamaki's eyes brightened, she knew she couldn't crush his dreams so easily. He looked so . . . happy.

"Hey, boss! We want a chance to dance with Haruhi, too!" Kaoru and Hikaru exclaimed, raising their fists towards the upperclassman. Tamaki, however, refused to relinquish his hold on the girl and continued to evade the twins gracefully.

Missy, Hani, and Mori watched in amusement from their seats. Hikaru and Kaoru were still chasing Tamaki, trying to pry Haruhi, who seemed completely nonplussed by the situation, from Tamaki's firm grip.

"Masu-chan, do you want me to teach you how to waltz?" Hani asked his underclassmen, his brown eyes wide with affection. The two had spent at least one afternoon a week together since she had transferred in the previous semester, and she really liked the loli boy's company.

In reply, Missy shook her head. "That's okay, Hani-senpai. I wasn't planning on going to the formal anyway."

"WHAT?!" Tamaki shrieked, stopping completely, causing Haruhi to nearly collide with him. "Mommy, that's not true, is it?" he asked, turning his attention to Kyoya.

The dark-haired senior didn't look up from his laptop. "I assure you, Tamaki, that there is no logical reason as to why you are looking at me for confirmation. Masumi has the right to decide for herself whether or not she will attend a host club event. She is not, in fact, a member of the club, and therefore, not required to go to any of our parties."

Missy smiled at him, glad to have his support. "Thank you, Kyoya-senpai."

"That being said," Kyoya continued, "All of your friends will be in attendance, and according to your schedule, you have no prior engagements. It would look very bad for you to not participate in such an enriching experience," he said, eyeing her knowingly. "Of course, the choice is still entirely yours." And with those words, his entire focus shifted back to his computer, alerting the other members of the club that he would not contribute anything else to the argument, having addressed his point thoroughly.

"Kyoya-senpai, how do you know Missy's schedule?" Haruhi questioned, asking what everyone else in the room had been wondering.

He fixed her a level look. "That should hardly surprise any of you at this point."

Kaoru shrugged noncommittally. "He's right. We really shouldn't be surprised."

"Yeah, senpai knows everything about anyone," Hikaru continued. "Even if he doesn't always share it."

"Kyo-chan doesn't share stuff unless it benefits him."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. " _That's_ what makes him so scary."

Imperceptibly, Kyoya smirked from behind the screen of his laptop. _That was what made him so scary._

"Yes, well," Tamaki continued, his attention shifting to the model. "With that being said, it's time we started preparing you for the party."

Missy looked at him quizzically, her tea held out in front of her. "Why would you need to 'prepare' me?"

Tamaki gasped audibly, while the twins rushed forward to stand on either side of him, the same shocked expression on their faces. "My dear girl, you can't attend such a prestigious event without knowing how to dance! Imagine, being unable to dance with your many suitors because you simply don't know how," he said sadly, shaking his head. "It would break their hearts, and mine as well, to see such a beautiful girl sitting on the sidelines."

"Yeah, the party will be boring if you can't dance."

Haruhi chose this moment to take pity on the other girl. "It's okay, I didn't know how to either until last year. And honestly, it's not all that important. It's okay if you don't know. It doesn't affect how I see you at all, Missy," Haruhi stated earnestly.

The model shot her a grateful look. "Haruhi, I-"

"Hold on a second," Kaoru interrupted. "You're a _dancer."_

"Mmhmm," Missy replied. "Which is why I find it so amusing that all of you think I don't know how _to dance_."

"Yes, I see your confusion," Tamaki acquiesced. "However, there is a difference between the commoner dancing and _the waltz."_ With a flourish of his hands, the senior was smiling brightly, no doubt imagining the girl learning the formal dance flawlessly, spinning around the room, second only to his dear Haruhi in everyone's affections. "The waltz is a beautiful dance that gestures to how well two individuals can come together to create something beautiful. Every refined person must know the steps."

From behind his many spreadsheets, Kyoya cleared his throat, directing all of the attention to him. "Forgive me, but why do you assume that Masumi doesn't know how to waltz?"

"Because she's a commoner," Tamaki and the twins all dead-panned, pointing out the obvious.

Kyoya chuckled from his seat. "A commoner, you say?"

"Guys, can we quit the commoner talk? It really doesn't mean anything," Haruhi insisted, causing the twins to turn back to Haruhi, fawning over her 'blunt nature.' The natural host was quite exasperated at this point, finding their insistence on the difference of pedigree to be so significant irritating. It didn't make sense to her. Who cares about someone's parents? All that mattered was someone's own actions. "Sorry about them," she said, turning to Missy. "They get a little carried away . . ." Haruhi trailed off, finding that the model was no longer on the couch.

Blinking twice, the hosts looked around, surprised to find that she was no longer in the room. Silently, she had slipped out the door.

"Where did she go?" Kaoru asked, his gaze sweeping the music room.

"She just disappeared!" Hikaru crowed in surprised. "How did she do that?"

While the twins and Tamaki began looking around the room, Hani sighed and placed his fork back on his plate.

"Masu-chan left because you weren't paying attention to her," the blonde said quietly.

The twins stared at him in frustration. "What do you mean 'not paying attention'? We were talking to her!"

The small upperclassman shot them an irritated glance, causing the two to take a step back.

"What do you mean, Hani-senpai?" Haruhi asked, taking a seat next to him.

"You were all talking about her like she wasn't even there!" Hani replied with tears in his eyes, holding usa-chan tightly to his chest. "She kept trying to tell you something, but you wouldn't listen." His voice had turned quiet and sad at the end, as if recognizing the emotions the girl was probably feeling. Hani certainly wasn't new to having his thoughts and feelings ignored.

"Yeah," Mori chimed in, echoing his cousin's sentiments.

Tamaki, of course, panicked immediately. "What have we done? We've alienated our second commoner daughter? Mother! What do we do?" the blonde shouted, immediately reaching out to Kyoya.

The twins began to move towards the door, citing that they were going to look for the girl. Before they took more than a few steps, Kyoya stopped them.

"Tamaki, when are we going to be done with this commoner schtick?" he asked, glaring at his classmate. Once again, the fool had managed to distract him from his work.

Hani immediately jumped on his friend. "That's right, Tama-chan. Just because Masu-chan comes from a poor background doesn't mean we need to remind her all the time!" Mori nodded in agreement.

Blinking slowly, Haruhi began to wonder how she had ever become friends with such crazy people. Truly, Mori was the only normal member of the group, especially on days when Satoshi wasn't there.

Overwrought with shame, Tamaki retreated to his corner, moaning apologies to his daughter for having ever offended her by mentioning her common roots. Haruhi merely rolled her eyes in protest.

Having had enough of their antics, Kyoya slammed his laptop shut. "Enough, Tamaki!" he barked, throwing the room of chaos into complete and utter silence, stopping the twins in their tracks. "I don't care if you want to use the word commoner, as long as you apply it to people it actually relates to."

The entire room was completely silent as the senior's declaration sank in.

"So what you're saying is-" Hikaru began.

"Missy isn't a commoner?" Kaoru finished, both twins scratching their heads in confusion.

The older twin blanched and turned towards his brother. "But half her wardrobe is t-shirts!" he sputtered. Kaoru nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, she owns more sweatpants than the entire track team combined!"

Kyoya sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Masumi is not, nor has she ever been, 'common.'"

Kaoru wrinkled his nose in confusion, his brother copying his features. "But if she was part of our society, wouldn't we have known her growing up?"

"Maybe not," Hani said thoughtfully, staring into his teacup. "Maybe she had to grow up far away."

"Well then who is she?" Haruhi asked, curious as to why her classmate's identity was such a surprise. Tamaki had taken this opportunity to move forward and stand behind Haruhi, staring at Kyoya with curiosity.

Kyoya, took it all in stride, leaning forward in his chair to give the information to his willing listeners. "Masumi Preston is the oldest child of Mei Kurumi, the sole owner of Kurumi energy, the company that distributes oil, wind, and electric energy to the entire country, as well as parts of Southeastern Asia."

Tamaki gripped the back of the sofa in surprise, his fingers leaving indents on the red cushions. "My little girl is . . . an heiress?" he questioned in disbelief.

In reply, Kyoya shook his head. "Not exactly. Masumi was the product of Kurumi's marriage to a William Tudor Preston, Marquess of Exeter*. He is a partner in British Petroleum, and he also owns a relatively new clean energy company, which is how he met her mother in the first place. They were business partners before they married. He also owns a lot of property, as well as a few odds and ends in scotland."

The rest of the club stared at Kyoya, completely stone-faced at the revelation.

Kaoru was the first to be able to articulate a coherent thought. "So-so where does that leave her inheritance now?"

"While Masumi is the oldest child of the Kurumi household, her mother's remarriage has produced a son, and possibly another boy in the near future, removing her from the claim, barring her mother's decision to hand the company over to her instead. This is, of course, unlikely, as Masumi has had little contact with her mother since leaving Japan six years ago," Kyoya stated emphatically.

"Six years ago?" Haruhi asked, folding her hands carefully in her lap. "Why?"

The senior only shook his head. "I'm afraid that not even my informants could get me that information. It's all under lock and key from the Kurumi family, although, I was able to glean that it was something about Masumi's safety," Kyoya admitted.

"And her father?" Hikaru asked shakily. "Did that asshole disinherit her, too?"

"Hikaru . . ." Kaoru soothed his brother, though his thoughts were identical to his twin's. He couldn't imagine anything worse than being rejected by his family.

"While Masumi is not William Preston's oldest child, that position belonging to her half brother, who lives in America somewhere, I believe, he has since remarried and produced two other daughters. It's hard to say where his estate will end up without looking at his will. But Masumi doesn't seem to have a strong connection to either of her parents, so it seems unlikely that she will gain anything. It's interesting," he paused thoughtfully, his face resting in the palm of his hand, "It's safe to say that most of her independent nature probably stems from a lack of dependency on either of her parents. That's probably what drove her to have a career so young," he mused.

"So Masu-chan doesn't really have any family, does she?" Hani asked sadly. The other club members could hear him sniffling, but only Mori moved closer to the college student to offer comfort.

"She has us," Kaoru said firmly, his brother nodded in agreement.

Tamaki and Haruhi both smiled, realizing what Kaoru's statement had meant. Rarely, did the Hitachiin twins refer to anyone as their family. Yet here they were, offering acceptance to a teenage girl that they had known for only a few months. More than anything, they hoped that the younger twin meant it.

"Hey guys, you'll never believe what my brother just told-"

The entire club whipped their heads towards the door in shock to find their friend striding in the room, her phone in her hand. The wide smile fell from her face immediately upon seeing their expressions and she stopped dead in her tracks. "Wh-what is it?"

"Masu-chaaaan," Hani wailed as he sailed towards her, flying into her arms. "We're sorry!"

Catching the older boy in her arms, Missy spun around in bewilderment before hugging the wailing boy to her chest. "What are you sorry for, Hani-senpai?"

Before the boy could answer her, however, the rest of the club, excluding Kyoya and Haruhi, had surrounded her for a group hug. Hikaru and Kaoru had both wrapped their arms around each other, the model trapped in the middle. Tamaki attacked from the front, pulling the group towards him while simultaneously squashing Hani who was hiccuping slightly from his earlier crying. Meanwhile, Mori stood off to the side, patting Missy on the top of her head. Kyoya and Haruhi watched from their seats in amusement.

Haruhi was mostly just happy to not be at the center of the hug for once, while Kyoya smiled softly, happy to see the girl finally bonding with the group of idiots.

"We're sorry that your parents don't want you to be a part of their family, but you can be part of our family, Masu-chan!" Hani cried.

Missy's entire body tensed in response. "Hani-senpai, what are you talking about?" she demanded, her usually pleasant voice threaded with steel. One by one, she shrugged each of the hosts off of her, fixing them each with a hard look as they stood before her, sheepish expressions on her face.

Tamaki was the first to crack.

"It's not right that your family shouldn't want you, but it's their loss! You're a part of our family now," the blonde said sincerely, his eyes boring straight into her.

The model clenched her jaw, remaining completely silent.

Hikaru scratched his neck awkwardly next. "Kyoya-senpai, kind of, told us about your family," he admitted with a nervous laugh. He looked incredibly uncomfortable and kept shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"I don't know what Kyoya told you, but I already _have_ a family," Missy said through gritted teeth. With those words, she turned abruptly on her heel and headed straight for the door.

Nobody moved a muscle in the time it took for her to cross the room and slam the door shut behind her, but as soon as she disappeared, all hell broke loose.

"Senpai, how could you say that!"

"It's not my-!"

"Masu-chaaaaaaan!"

"She's never going to talk to us again!"

"Everybody, shut up!" Haruhi shouted. The honor student was more exhausted than usual after a day of club activities, and she had hardly been able to practice her dancing at all. Instead, they had all been caught up in a maelstrom of emotions, ending with offending one of their friend by prying into her life. Haruhi understood how much the girl was probably hurting, considering how much it bothered her whenever the club interfered in her own life.

The room was silent again, everyone stopping mid-sentence to stare at Haruhi. The natural host _never_ raised her voice at them. It just wasn't in her to yell at people unless she was defending someone or excited about food. Truly, it was a day for shocking events.

Kyoya looked at her approvingly, respecting Haruhi's strong response and ability to handle the situation.

"Listen to me. Clearly, we have upset Missy by going behind her back and prying into her business."

"But-!"

"Shut up, senpai," Haruhi replied with a glare towards Tamaki, who could only hang his head in shame. "Obviously, she's very sensitive about her family. Everyone stays here while I go find her and apologize."

"Haruhi-!"

The junior whirled around and pinned the twins' objections with a hard stare. "Stay," she barked.

Meekly, they obeyed, slinking back towards one of the empty sofas.

Sighing, Haruhi left the Music room and trotted down the hallway, eyes and ears alert for any signs of her classmate.

Briefly, Haruhi wondered if the model had gotten lost. After all, she arrived with the twins, so she couldn't have left school grounds. So she had to be somewhere inside the school.

Turning down an empty hallway, Haruhi stopped and listened intently. To her right, she could hear steady footsteps against the tile. Immediately, she knew it had to be her friend, as there were no other clubs on this floor and most of the other students had already gone home for the day.

"Missy!" Haruhi shouted, hoping to catch the girl's attention so she wouldn't have to search for her.

The footsteps stopped and then picked up, this time faster and traveling in the opposite direction.

" _Dammit,"_ the honor student muttered lowly, annoyed at having to chase after her. She picked up her stride, allowing her short legs to carry her as fast as she could.

She turned down another hallway and ran directly into her missing classmate. "Ow!" Haruhi grimaced, colliding with the other girl.

Missy fell from the impact, landing on the ground with a soft 'thud.' "Geez, Haruhi. Watch where you're going," she growled, rubbing her back, resigning herself to the impending bruises.

Haruhi looked over the girl in concern, noticing the pinched look on her face. "You shouldn't have run off like that. Everyone was really worried about you."

"I don't know what Kyoya told everyone, but he had no right to invite everyone into my past," Missy hissed defiantly. She crossed her arms over he chest.

The honor student stood up, brushing the dirt off her blazer. "Grow up," she chided gently. "They talk about you because they care. If Tamaki-senpai didn't know everything about everyone he would implode."

"How would you know?" the brunette bit back icily. She knew she was overreacting and she knew that Haruhi wasn't really to blame, but she was felt hurt and betrayed. It was her life to share, not Kyoya's.

"The host club is like it's own family. It took me a long time to understand that," Haruhi admitted, her doe eyes softening. "Last year, I went to Karuizawa on vacation to work for a friend of my dad's, and they _followed me,_ and stayed for the entire break. They meddle because they care."

"I know they care," Missy confirmed, the edge in her voice lightening, "I really do. But it doesn't make it okay. Besides, the host club isn't my family."

Haruhi looked over the model. She was sitting on the ground, her knees tucked into her chest. She looked . . .vulnerable. "I get it. You don't consider them family. But honestly, Missy, they consider _you_ family. Tamaki-senpai . . . he doesn't really have much of a family," she said quietly. Missy looked up in surprise, her blue eyes focusing in on her friend. "And most of them have a lot of family problems. Hani-senpai's little brother hates him and half his family has ostracized him. Kyoya-senpai is overlooked by his family, and the twins haven't ever made friends outside the club. They _need_ each other. There's a reason they act like that. To them, the club doesn't have boundaries because that's the only real family they have."

"What about you?" Missy asked, the anger vanishing from her voice. Her once irritated glare had turned thoughtful. She could see it now, if she looked hard enough. Glimpses of the bonds the hosts shared with each other. The model knew enough of Kyoya's family to know that they probably all had hard times relating to their parents and siblings. To them, they didn't need rules because the club was the only place where they really felt safe and loved. It was home.

"I-I was so focused on my goal to be a lawyer like my mom that I forgot to build bridges along the way." Haruhi looked off into the distance for a moment, reminiscing through the memories she shared with the club members. It had taken her the whole year prior to see how their antics and drama and _love_ could improve the quality of her life. Suddenly, she turned her attention back to the other girl. "I'm not saying you shouldn't be annoyed with them. You're right, they should have asked you instead. But don't shut them out, either. That's all I'm saying."

And with those words, Haruhi pulled Missy off the ground and tugged her down the hallway, back to the music room. Within minutes they were pushing the doors open and greeting the other club members.

Haruhi, having done her duty thoroughly, went to find herself a piece of strawberry cake from the pantry, leaving Missy to the mercy of the other hosts.

Hani was the first to approach her, Usa-chan behind his back as he stared at the ground. "Masu-chan, we're sorry," he mumbled, his lip trembling as he tried to hold back the tears.

"Thank you, Hani-senpai. I'm sorry I got mad and stormed off. I shouldn't have left like that, and I'm sorry I worried you," she admitted, reaching down to hug the upperclassman. Hani accepted the hug, his entire face lighting up before he skipped away to find some sweets to share with Usa-chan.

Tamaki was the next to approach the girl. A whimper left his mouth while Kyoya glared at him from across the room, urging his apology. "Princess, I apologize. It was wrong of us to seek Kyoya's knowledge of your background instead of asking you directly. Please, forgive me," he pleaded earnestly.

As much as Tamaki irritated Missy, she also could tell that he was incredibly sincere. He may have loved giving false compliments, but that was just because he loved to see people smile. "I forgive you, senpai. But if you ever do that again, I will break your knees, okay?" Missy said sweetly. Tamaki smiled gently and bowed before stepping back to stand by Kyoya.

"We're sorry," Kaoru said, moving towards Missy, tugging his brother along. His amber eyes were downcast with contrition and the girl was surprised by the depth she saw there. Gone was the mischief. "We shouldn't have ignored you or dug through your past without asking you."

Silence overtook the conversation and Kaoru elbowed his brother in the ribs sharply, causing Hikaru to yelp in surprise and shoot his twin a nasty look. "Y-yeah. We're sorry for ignoring you. We should have listened to what you had to say."

"We upset you and made you leave _twice._ We have to be the worst hosts ever," Kaoru conceded, a playful laugh bubbling up.

"Twice?" Missy asked in confusion. "I left the first time because Josh called me. You guys weren't really listening to me, which was rude, but I left to answer a phone call, not to storm off dramatically," she clarified. "Josh wanted me to know that his team is coming here next month for a workshop in hand-to-hand combat."

"So, you didn't leave because you were offended?" Tamaki asked timidly, rising from his seat. Haruhi shot him a dirty look and he sank back into his seat.

"I was hurt the second time. You guys shouldn't have done that," she scolded, glaring at Tamaki and the twins. "But the first time I really was just answering a phone call. Ignoring me was annoying, but it's not worth getting upset over."

"But," Kaoru interrupted, "you forgive us, right?" He was rolling forward on his toes in anticipation, waiting for her to give him some approval.

She rolled her eyes and stuck out her arms for a hug. Both twins cheered before wrapping their arms around her. "Yes, I forgive you, idiots," she teased, releasing them from her brief hug.

Mori was next. He stared at her for a moment before nodding, to which she nodded in reply. All was well between the two after their brief exchange.

Next was the hard part.

"Kyoya-senpai," Missy called, directing her attention to the 'cool' host.

"Yes?" he asked, looking up at her expectantly.

"What, exactly, did you tell them?" she asked evenly.

"I told them about your parents, mostly. You were born here, alternating between two households. Your father had you during the school year, your mother on breaks. That's how we knew each other. However, you have had little interaction with either of your parents in the last five years, and both of them have since remarried and produced other offspring. I believe that sums up what I told them," he replied matter-of-factly.

Missy nodded slowly, realizing that while he hadn't told them anything that was a secret, per se, but it was still a sensitive subject. "Let me be clear," she warned, causing all of the club members to perk up in attention. "I have a family. My half-brother, Josh, and his mother, Marisol, are my family. They have a home in Texas, in the United States, and they mean the world to me. I didn't like you guys assuming that I didn't have a family because I _do._ Josh and Marisol have taken care of me since I was thirteen. My parents may be responsible to bringing me into this world, but that's where their claim on me ends," she stated evenly. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have calculus homework to do."

The room lapsed into a rare silence as everyone went about their duties, their minds still focused on processing what she had told them.

Within ten minutes, Kaoru was seated next to her on the couch, his math homework in front of him. It was odd, Hikaru was across the room, being tutored by an irritated Kyoya, but the two seemed more comfortable with the distance. "I really am sorry," he apologized scooting closer to her on the couch.

Their legs were barely touching, but she ignored the comforting warmth that emanated from his body, rolling off of him in waves. "I know."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she replied tersely, her focus still on the figures in front of her. The equation had so many variables that it was taking up half a page for one problem.

"Would you have ever told us about your parents if Kyoya-senpai hadn't told us first?"

She looked over at him in surprise, the math problem momentarily forgotten. His gaze was focused on her intently and Missy knew there was no getting away from that look in his eyes. Kaoru's mouth was fixed in a firm line, but he didn't look angry. Rather, he looked focused.

Clearing her throat to buy some time to think, she wondered. Would she have ever told them? While she could see the merit in having friendships, it was hard to say how deep she would allow the relationships to go. "I-I don't really know," the model replied honestly. That answer really bugged her, which she hated to admit. It wasn't like her to be afraid, but she was terrified to let people in and give them the opportunity to hurt her.

Kaoru nodded and leaned back into his seat, balancing his assignments near his knee. "I thought so. You're almost as closed off as Hikaru and I used to be," he said wryly. "But that's okay," he said, his entire countenance brightening. "The host club will do the same thing for you that it did for Haruhi."

"And what's that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Make you happy."

" _It is my duty, as a member of the Elite Ouran Host Club, to make every girl happy."_ When he had said that to her after she had bruised her ankle, she thought he was teasing her, trying to make her laugh.

But now, she saw that he _meant it._ Those were words the entire club lived by, and Haruhi was a prime example. The entire club had gone to great lengths to try to enliven her life, to bring joy to her mundane existence, and to show her that love still existed, even with her mother gone. They all really loved her.

They _all_ really loved her.

And here, Missy wondered just how much each individual member loved her.

But it wasn't the right time to question something that she wasn't really ready to receive an answer to.

"Just to clarify, you do know how to waltz, right?"

Missy shot him an annoyed look before writing down her answer in her notebook. "Yes, but I don't really like it."

"Really? Why?"

She shrugged. "It's kind of boring."

Kaoru tapped his pencil on his homework thoughtfully before replying. "Maybe you're just not dancing with the right person."

* * *

 **A/N: Ugh you guys are the best. Seriously, I loved reading the reviews. Let me know if there are any questions or concerns about this story.**

 ***There is actually a Marquess of Exeter, but it's under a different family name.**

 **-star**

 **P.S. Has** _ **anybody**_ **figured out what's up with the chapter titles yet?**


	18. Chapter 18 - When You Were Young

_You sit there in your heartache_

 _Waiting on some beautiful boy to_

 _To save you from your old ways_

* * *

"Kyoya-senpai, do you mind if I sit with you today? I have a lot of history to catch up on," Missy pleaded, standing on her toes as she leaned forward to grab his attention.

The senior's gaze flickered from the model to the empty chair across from him. He nodded slightly, almost entirely indifferent to the girl's location as long as she was quiet.

"Thanks!" she replied cheerfully, slipping into the cushioned chair and setting her book bag next to her. She pulled out her laptop and History textbook, determined to get a head start on the next chapter's outline so that she would be prepared. Despite what most people, her classmates included, believed about model's never caring about school, Missy was surprisingly studious and wanted to earn her place into an ivy league school, not buy it or use her family's prestige.

Sitting by Kyoya was the perfect opportunity to spend some quiet time studying during club hours. After all, he certainly wasn't going to pester her about why she was studying because, frankly, he didn't care. The shadow king was known for his indifference when it came to the little things his friends chose to do with their time. Unless they were in peril or their reputation, and therefore, his reputation, was in danger, he left them to their own devices and was content to simply observe from a distance.

As Missy jotted down her notes for the end of the Edo period, she couldn't help but glance around the room periodically, distracted by the atmospheric hum of the host club.

Seated by the window, Satoshi was entertaining twin girls with identical pigtails. They both wore the middle school uniform, so they were probably in his class at school, and judging by their giggles, they were charmed by his easy boyish smile.

It was a rare day in the club. Because of Hani and Mori's university schedule, they were never there on the same day as their younger brothers. Fortunately, the upperclassmen had their afternoon classes canceled for the day, allowing for them to attend the host club and entertain a higher quantity of guests. Satoshi's personality was easy and carefree. Pair that with his athletic interests in kendo and he was a hit with girls his own age as well as some of the first year girls.

Yasuchika was an entirely different matter. A third year at the middle school, he was demanding and difficult, something that a surprising number of girls also found intriguing. Of course, being captain of the Karate club certainly helped.

Laughter and the smell of instant coffee filled the room as each guest was entertained. Missy could almost taste the confectionaries that were place around Hani, and the room felt lighter for the feeling.

Of course, she also noticed something else interesting as she observed the room.

The more she watched the hosts, the more she noticed that their gazes had a tendency to flicker frequently in the same direction.

Haruhi.

No matter which host it was, whenever the girl laughed or smiled brightly, someone's attention would drift to her for just a second.

Upon further inspection, Missy discovered that the amount each host looked varied.

For example, Hani would glance at the natural and smile softly before quickly returning to his guests and treats. Mori had a similar response, but he also seemed to look around the girl, as if searching for any impending threats.

Next, was Kyoya. The shadow king seemed to enjoy the sound of her laughter, as well as the profit it represented. On several occasions, he would make an involuntary noise of sorts in his throat, as if wanting to respond to her actions with one of his own. Naturally, he never verbalized anything to anyone about it.

The funniest reaction was always Tamaki's. The Princely character had a tendency to all but abandon his guests for a moment whenever Haruhi's eyes would light up. There was even a longing look in his violet eyes, and Missy couldn't help but wonder why he would always address Haruhi as his daughter when he was so clearly in love with her.

Satoshi and Yasuchika were wild cards. As far as Missy could tell, they looked at the girl in awe and respect whenever she did anything. No, they seemed to invested in having her as an older sister than being able to develop any sort of romantic attachment for Haruhi.

The twins were, by far, the most interesting to watch when it came to Haruhi related reactions. If the girl even _spoke_ loudly, their attention would wander and their eyes would soften. The tight lines around Kaoru's mouth would turn upward in a subtle smile, and Hikaru's breath would always catch as if she was the only reminder he had to breathe.

From across the room, Haruhi released another gentle laugh, causing her guests to coo and sigh in her presence. They obviously considered the gesture to be attractive, causing the three girls to erupt into their own fit of giggles.

This time, it was Kaoru's turn to be distracted. From where Missy sat, she couldn't make out when he was saying, but she saw his attention wander for a moment, even while his lips continued moving. Hikaru covered for him, finishing his brother's sentence so their guests remained unaware. It was apparent that this had been a problem for awhile.

As she watched his amber eyes flicker and soften, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy. Kaoru's entire body turned a fraction of an inch, angling him towards Haruhi as he continued to entertain his guests. Did he even know he was doing it?

It was commendable, really, that Haruhi could have such a wide effect on so many people. The honor student probably didn't even know that most of her club doted on her, not because she was their 'secret commoner princess' but because she was simply 'theirs.' She belonged to all of them, and they all loved her for it. Certainly, the love ranged and varied, but it hung in the air.

She didn't even know that they were all wrapped around her finger.

Missy needed a distraction from this revelation. As intriguing as it was, it as just as unsettling because it imposed further introspection.

 _Why was she jealous of their love for Haruhi?_

After all, it certainly made sense that they cared. She had been with them for over a year, and in that time she had introduced them to a world and a way of understanding they had scarcely been aware of. They were all better for it.

Missy knew she would never have that effect on them. It just wasn't in her to inspire that sort of growth in others. After all, how could one light a fire in someone else without a match? Her own hearth was cold and empty, even if she was the only one that knew it.

Just another pretty face.

 _A distraction,_ she berated herself, turning her attention back to her textbook.

 _The Edo period lasted from 1603-1868._

 _Characterized by_

 _Economic growth_

 _Strict social order_

 _Isolationist foreign policies_

 _Stable population_

 _Enjoyment of arts and cu-_

She was distracted again by the sudden change in the room.

Really, thought, it was a change a few feet away.

Kyoya sat quietly, his entire body tense as his fingers were placed on his keyboard, completely still. The methodical clicking of keys was eerily silent. Missy's attention shifted in interest as she watched him gaze unabashedly across the room, his focus on Haruhi.

His body was wound tightly, intently rigid, while long lashes fluttered over an uncommonly peaceful gaze. It was like watching the eye of a storm, completely calm and silent. He was fixated on Haruhi without remorse.

 _Oh that definitely looks interesting._

Missy cleared her throat, causing Kyoya to shift his attention to the model across from him. He raised his eyebrow at her, acting as though she had not just caught him staring forlornly at her classmate.

She grinned at him impishly, sliding her elbows across the tables. "So, how long have you been in love with Haruhi?"

Much to her surprise, Kyoya's expression did not even flicker. "I would hardly consider myself 'in love' with her," he chided, condescension dripping from his words.

"Really? Because you just stared at her for an alarming amount of time for someone that 'isn't in love with her'," Missy mused with a chuckle. "It's okay if you are, you're in good company."

Kyoya stared at Missy levely, his expression unchanging. Finally, he released his breath and leaned back into his seat. "I suppose you could say that, though the _quantity_ of company does fluctuate too frequently for my taste."

* * *

"Are you almost ready, Missy?"

The model looked up from her laptop, surprised to see Kaoru fidgeting with his book bag while Hikaru stood beside him.

"Is it time to leave already?" she asked, looking around the now empty club room. She had spent the last twenty minutes completely absorbed in her notes in an attempt to finish her outline and review before the end of club activities.

Kaoru rolled his eyes and took her bag from the back of her chair and started piling her books into it neatly. "Yes. Yes it is, you airhead. Now hurry up," he prodded as he shut the lid on her laptop. "We need to get to the shelter before it closes."

Missy gasped. "That's today?!"

Now it was Hikaru's turn to roll his eyes. "Yes, Missy, that's today. You know, if I didn't know any better, and you weren't absolutely schooling me in Literature, I'd say you were an airhead, too."

The model responded with a sharp elbow to the older twin's ribs after she practically jumped out of her seat. "Come on then, let's go guys!"

* * *

"So what are you going to name him?"

Missy looked up abruptly from the bundle of fluff in her arms. The puppy wiggled in her arms, but she held him tightly to her chest, knowing that he would run free if he had the chance because of his excitement. Kaoru smiled at her from where he leaned against the counter.

The model grinned as she scratched her new puppy's ears. "I'm thinking 'Tilney'."

"Tilney?" Kaoru asked in surprise. Understanding then lit up his face and he rolled his eyes playfully. "You Brits and your adoration for all things 'Austen'."

The samoyed/husky mix barked softly at his name, sending Missy into a fit of giggles. "See? He knows he supposed to be named after a perfect gentleman, and there is no better Austen hero than Henry Tilney."

"So you're not a Darcy fan?" Hikaru asked, returning from looking at the kennels that held other dogs that had been rescued by the shelter. An energetic boxer puppy had caught his eyes, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for puppy parenthood and all that it entailed. "I would have pegged you for a Pride and Prejudice romantic."

Missy shrugged. "I like him, but he's a bit too brooding for my taste. Tilney? He's open and honest from the beginning. Very likable. And this little man is going to be just like that," she admitted, looking at her puppy tenderly. "Thank you for getting him for me, Kaoru. He'll make my apartment life much less lonely, and I'll feel better having a man in the house." She kissed the top of Tilney's head after he licked the bottom of her chin, sending her into another frenzy of giggles.

"Apartment life?" Hikaru and Kaoru both asked, dumbfounded.

"You mean you're really going to move out?" the younger twin asked. He was shocked at the idea of her living on her own, especially since he had grown so accustomed to having her in his home. He liked knowing she was dutifully practicing and stretching in the dance studio every night, he liked knowing that he could often find her on one of the stone garden benches (the one by the cala lilies), and he liked seeing her at meals. She always brightened the room up.

"Of course, did you think I was just looking for conversation when I asked Haruhi about that apartment?"

Kaoru and Hikaru exchanged a glance. "So you're moving into a commoner's apartment?"

Missy rolled her eyes. "Don't say it like it's a bad word, guys. It's not a bad place. Plus, I'll be on the same floor as Haruhi if I need anything."

That was part of the appeal, actually. Having Haruhi close meant having a friendly face nearby, as well as someone to walk to school with. She couldn't drive in Japan, something that bugged her after having the freedom to drive her Jeep whenever she wanted in the states. Walking to school was unappealing, but walking to school _alone_ was even more unappealing. So, living near Haruhi seemed like the perfect solution.

Hikaru wrinkled his nose. "I still don't see why you would want to leave our estate, but it's your choice, I guess," he replied with a shrug. However, Kaoru remained quiet. His usually cheerful countenance was silent, as though he was considering what to say.

After a moment, he exhaled. "It's your decision. I know how much your independence means to you, but _promise_ me you'll call us if you need anything."

Kaoru looked completely focused and sincere, and Missy believed him. She smiled slowly and stood up from her crouched position on the floor. "I pinky promise, Kaoru."

He broke into a wide grin. "That's my girl."

* * *

 **A/N: Shorter chapter, but it's been mostly done for awhile. I apologize for the hiatus. The Navy boyfriend finally came back from his last underway, so he needed all my attention. Fortunately, for you guys, he's underway (it means he's in the middle of the ocean to qualify for deployment) for a few more weeks again, so I should have fewer distractions. Thanks for all the love and support, guys! Also, to those who guessed, yes, every chapter is a song by The Killers (They're Missy's favorite band, and if you ever want to guess at some plot lines for this story, peruse through their greatest hits album).  
**

 **Stories to check out if you're in the KaoruxOc fandom**

 **Mirror shards by c-hanting**

 **Taking Chances by iceicecream**

 **Fountain Girl by SydFord1012**

 **S'Wonderful by wealhtheow1**

 **Looking through my favorited and followed stories if you're looking for more, these are just off the top of my head. We're not a huge fandom, so I thought these stories could use some love (Because they're amazing and way better at updating than me!)**

 **-star**


	19. Message from the Author

Hey guys!

I'm a friend of the author.

She gave me her account information to pass on this message.

In May 2017, she went on an 18 month mission, and during this time she has very restricted Internet access, which means she won't be able to get on this site until late 2018. But she's told me that she misses ffn and can't wait to get back at it when she gets back!


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